A Broken Promise
by MegaGummybear07
Summary: When a twenty-something-year-old washes up on the beach of Rook Island with absolutely no memory, her struggle for survival begins. Once she meets the pirate king, Vaas Montenegro, her struggle only worsens. Fear, war, romance, and eventually her past all put her sanity to the test. WIll she be able to stay sane or adjust to her new life? Vaas x OC Possible M rating later.
1. Alone and Afraid

A twenty-something-year-old woman let her heavy eyelids slowly lift to see an endless amount of sand that gradually met with a blue-green ocean. Dazed and confused, she pushed herself away from the sandy earth below her. She slowly stood, her body complaining and her mouth spitting out blood. Her vision slowly returning to her, she looked at her surroundings. She was on a beautiful tropical beach. A thick emerald forest cut off to a sandy shore, which led to the rocky, aquamarine sea. The bright, blazing sun seemed to have made everything shimmer. The beach was beautiful.

Trying to gather her thoughts, the twenty-something girl started to mindlessly walk alongside the ocean. Her mind was going a thousand miles an hour. _Where am I? How did I get here?_

Not paying attention to what she was doing, she tripped over something in her way. She face planted, getting a mouthful of sand. Spitting and cursing, she stood herself up. She looked down at what she tripped on. It was a body. It was a corpse of a dead man. It had clearly been there for too long. It stank like rotten meat and looked like it smelled. The sun began to bleach and decay it, turning it into a bloated, tangled mess. The only clues of death were bullet holes scattered across the chest and one right in between his frozen, horrified eyes. She couldn't help but begin to cry, the only thing that was stopping her from screaming. She turned towards the ocean, ran a few steps and puked. Once she was done, she began to pace, trying to gather her thoughts.

_Where am I?_

_How did I get here?_

_What happened the day before?_

She froze at the final thought that crossed her mind?

_Who am I?_

Her heart was going faster than her head now. She slowly began to realize that not only was she stranded on an unknown, empty island, she had no memory of anything. She didn't know the date, the year, who she was, how old she was, her name…nothing. She pulled her long hair in front of her face. It was a perfect, curly blonde. She looked down at what she was wearing. She had a knee-length, sleeveless, white dress on that was soaked, dirty, and bloodied. She was also barefoot. That would prove to become a pain in the ass later. She looked down at her skin. She was as pale as a ghost. She noticed a tattoo on her left wrist. It was an elegant cursive font that read "Promise".

"Okay" she said out loud, trying to calm herself down. "I need a plan." She tore apart her head, trying to find anything she could about survival. She looked into the forest. There could be food, freshwater, and more things in there. Of course, more things could include blood-thirsty predators as well.

She trailed her sight down to the body. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She had no other choice. She knew what she had to do. She was not happy about it. She dragged herself back to the bloated mess of a carcass, the smell making her want to curl up into a ball next to him and die as well. She kneeled down to search it, the odor stinging her eyes. The only useful things he had were a lighter and a large survival knife. She accepted the gifts with open arms. She needed anything she could get her hands on.

"The body…" she said out loud. "It didn't die of natural causes, it was shot." It was getting harder for her to breathe as she began to panic. She wasn't alone here. _Could they be friendly? Would these people help her? Well of course they couldn't be friendly, the man was murdered. _A million thoughts went through her head. She tried to reassure herself, tell herself that everything would turn out to be okay, even though she was stranded on a beach with nothing but a survival knife and a corpse of a stranger.

"Okay," she began to herself. "Think. I need a plan." She whipped around every which direction as if trying to find a miracle to save her. She took mental notes of everything around her. _Jungle behind me, I am on a beach, ocean in front of me. I need shelter, food, a fire, and most of all, water._ She sighed. "Okay," she said to herself reassuringly. "I can do this." She looked down at the survival knife again and then averted her attention to the jungle. She really didn't want to go in there barefoot, but she had no choice. She held her breath as she began to slowly advance to the thick jungle.

"Okay, first thing is first, I need fire wood and shelter. Then I will search for food and water tomorrow. I think I can do without for today." The forest floor protested her presence with every step, greeting her feet with sharp branches and slimy mud. She ignored it as she pressed on, gathering long palm leaves, sticks and branches. She needed whatever she could find. She looked up, trying to find the sun. The jungle was so thick; she could barely see the sky. She dead stopped in her tracks, realizing that the trees were so thick; it was going to be nearly impossible to find her way back to the beach easily. She was going to have to stay in the jungle, neighboring with the presumably sinister animals that reside in it.

Once she finally decided that she had enough to get started, she found a clearing and began to weave leaves and twigs together, to make a shelter. _This is taking way too much time _she thought to herself. _There is no chance of finishing by sun down._ With negative thoughts occupying her conscious, she kept on building her shelter. Even if she couldn't finish it, it will be a great start.

Time and the jungle was her enemy. Time accelerated, but the jungle made it speed up as well. As the sun slowly fell and made the light disappear, the jungle would get twice as dark, the tree tops letting no light in. Finally, she gave up on her shelter and lit a fire. There was no sense in continuing if she couldn't see what she was doing. She sat down in front of the fire. The fire's warmth provided enough heat to keep her from freezing. As the fire flickered, it made her surroundings flicker as well, playing tricks on her mind. Scared, she kept the survival knife near, knowing that it would not be enough to fend off something big and hungry. Every time she heard a noise, she would grab on to it, in case something decides to attack.

It was getting more and later. Hours have passed. The night felt as if it would last forever. Every time the nameless survivor would begin to drift into unconsciousness, a noise would startle her. Finally, she decided that she would climb a tall tree and sit upon the branches, knowing that the tree tops would most likely be no better than the jungle floor beneath her. Now she felt like she could finally sleep, even though she refused. She did not want to risk falling from a twenty foot tall branch or being attacked by an angry monkey in her sleep. Instead, she just straddled an unstable branch, letting her feet dangle and her survival knife rest on her lap as she watched her fire below slowly die.

Sitting at the top of the tree with nothing to see or do gave her too much time to think. Doubts and fears danced across her head, making her slowly lose faith in her survival. She was beginning to feel hungry and thirsty and she hasn't found food or water. She has not finished her shelter that isn't even half way finished. On top of all that, she has no clue about who she is. She does not know her name, where she is from, or how she got on the island. All she remembers is waking up on the island alone. The only clue she has about herself is the tattoo reading "Promise" on her wrist.

She looked up. The little sliver of sky above her has turned from a deep black to an indigo. Doubts about the approaching day crossed her mind. Scared tears fell from her eyes as she finally began to fall into an inescapable sleep.

**Oh hai there! :3 This is my SECOND attempt at a Far Cry 3 fanfiction! I was not happy AT ALL with how the first one was going. Since I didn't feel like my heart was into it, I stopped and started from scratch. If my heart is not into it, that my viewers hearts certainly wouldn't be into it! Don't worry! I have a very good feeling about where this one will go! I would like to thank everyone for there support. Please follow and review! Vaas will be undoutably in the next chapter! Stick around! I love you!**

**-Rae**

**P.S. I like getting messages from you guys! It makes me feel loved! Drop a message anytime! :D**


	2. Meeting New Friends

"Oh shit! Oh God, no!"

The unnamed women slowly let her heavy eyelids flicker open. The sound of rushing wind and feet hitting the jungle floor hard woke her from her deep sleep. She instinctively put her hand on top of the survival knife cradled in her lap as she looked all around, preparing for the worst. When nothing appeared, she assumed it was a harmless animal scampering off. She looked up to the sliver of sky peeking through the tree tops. It was still early in the morning. She still had a little time to rest before she had to get up. She subconsciously let her eyelids fall once again.

_Bang! Ban! Bang bang! _

This time, her eyes opened with a start. _Were those gun shots? _she thought to herself as she ripped the knife out of its holster. Her heart began to race as she climbed up a few branches further; ignoring the pain it caused her bare feet. She didn't want to be easily seen. She wasn't sure if whoever or whatever down there was friendly or not, but she didn't want to take her chances. She straddled her new place like she did the previous one, this time lying on her stomach to keep a look out for danger.

She sat there as still as can be for what felt like hours, even though she knew that the time that had passed were only minutes. She was beginning to feel like she just imagined the whole thing. It wouldn't have surprised her if she were to go insane. She was beginning to believe that she was already there.

"WE HAVE TO FIND THAT MOTHER FUCKER!"

With that, she was pulled out of her day dream and staring down at her clearing. A group of men emerged running from the jungle behind them. They were all different in shape and size. Some were short and thin, others were tall and wide. The only thing they seemed to have in common were there red tank tops and there dark green army pants. Upon examining them, the unnamed woman also noticed their giant guns. Her heart began to race as they walked closer to her tree.

"FUCK!" yelled a man. That man in particular stuck out like a sore thumb compared to all of the others. He was tall and very muscular, he had a Spanish accent, he had a black mohawk and he had a huge scar going from his left eyebrow clear to the back of his partially shaven head. He seemed to intimidate the other men, as if they were dogs and he was there hot-head owner.

"Vaas, maybe-"

"Maybe what, Jack, hmm?" he cut him off as he turned to look at him expectantly. He put both of his hands on his hips and began to tap his foot condescendingly. The other speaker that apparently was named Jack immediately stood down. He went from standing six feet high down to three.

"…I was just thinking," he said, his voice much quieter and more intimidated than it was. "Maybe we should let this one go."

The man that went by the name Vaas looked down to his feet, smiling and shaking his head. "You know what, hermano? That is a good idea. Why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah. That's right. BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO FUCKING GET TWO MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF HIM, DUMB ASS!" Vaas got out of his face and walked into the middle of the clearing, tearing Jack's rifle away from him.

"COME ON OUT! YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE, YOU FUCK! THIS IS MY ISLAND! WE WILL FIND YOU!" Vaas immediately starting shooting bullets into the air. "All of you, split up! No rest until you find that mother fucker!" All of the men immediately scrambled in all different directions. Vaas dropped the rifle and fell back against a tree, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mierda que necesito unas vacaciones." He whispered to himself.

She didn't know what or why it was, but she found something strangely intriguing about Vaas. She thought he was attractive, there was no denying that, but there was something else about him. Something about the way he spoke, how he carried himself, and how he acted. He was interesting to her. She sat on the branch as still as she possibly could and as quiet as humanly possible as she watched him with the utmost curiosity. He let go of his face as he pushed himself away from the tree. He picked the gun up and began to across the clearing. She started cursing, when she realized that he may find her unfinished shelter and the remains of her fire.

"Please don't find it, please don't find it," she prayed to herself over and over again. Vaas stopped dead in his tracks and bent down to the remains of her fire. He examined it, and then finally picked up ash into his hands, letting it slip through his fingers as easily he picked it up.

She began to panic. She had nowhere to go. Either she stays in the tree and prays to God that he doesn't see her, or so climbs down and gets caught. She didn't like either plans. She sat on her branch, trying to devise a decent plan. _The trees are close together,_ she thought to herself. _I will quietly climb from tree to tree away from here._ Deciding that she had no other hope, she began gingerly stepping from branch to branch, keeping one eye on Vaas the whole time. She looked over at a branch that was a long distance away. She had no choice. She had to leap. She took a deep breath. With astonishing grace, precision, and balance, she jumped to the next branch, nearly slipping. She hugged the tree tightly, as Vaas heard the outcome of her little slip. She clenched her eyes shut as if she were watching a horror movie and couldn't process what was on screen. Vaas looked up in her direction, but did not find her. He gave up and began to look all around the clearing for other traces of her existence. Practically holding her breath while still eyeing Vaas, she reached for a handle to hold as she stepped for the next branch. Instead of a branch, he hand met with something stringy and sticky. She looked over at her unfortunate hand. It plummeted straight into a spider web complete with a black spider with bright red and blue dots all over its legs and body. She held her breath, trying not to panic. She really hated spiders.

She stood deathly still as the spider began to slowly scuttle towards her hand. She tried to step down to a branch below her, but it was too late. The spider had already crawled onto her hand. She swore as it sunk its venomous teeth into her skin. A shooting pain went up her arm. She began to panic as she quickly climbed down the tree. Her ears were ringing and she began to see stars. A tear rolled down her cheek as panic and terror filled her body almost as quickly as the venom from the damned spider. Finally, dizziness overcame her and she fell backwards with a loud thud on the jungle floor. She looked up to see Vaas standing over her and bending down to pick her up, swearing under his breath the entire time.

Then everything went black.


	3. Keeping One for Ourselves

_Her dream came in flashes. She would see one image for a split second, but then the memory of it would slip through her grasp, like water trickling through hands. There was virtually no way to hold all of it in her grasp. Once she had it, it would already be too late. She would lose it from her sight forever. _

_The first image was of her on a boat, a rickety old boat that could barely stay afloat. Soon, it began to storm. The storm got worse with every second of its life, raging on and on, turning waves in every which direction. No matter how hard she tried to keep the boat steady, it got worse. Soon, she was tumbling overboard._

_Blackness._

_Soon, another image made itself present. It was her. She was in a grungy basement, with a man on his knees. She pulled out a pistol, pushing it against his temple. He shakily put his hands behind his head. _

_"Tell me where she FUCKING is right now before I blast a giant hole through your head!" She has never been so angry and hurt in her life. The man didn't even blink. He swallowed his fear as he let out a giant, sinister grin. _

_"Killing me won't help you find her. I will never tell you where she is." He said it so nonchalantly, so emotionless. _

_"But it will make me feel a hell of a lot better." She was practically spitting she was so angry. He looked over at her with that same evil grin that made her want to find a place to hide. The man slowly began to stand up, her gun still pointed at his head._

_"You wouldn't kill me. You have done a lot of bad in your life, but you could never take a life. Besides, if you did, it would not matter. You want revenge. No matter what you do to me, you could not get it. You cannot make me regret what I have done. I have taken the only thing that made you happy, the only thing that made your life worthwhile. Killing me will not make you feel better, because I still took your life away. So go ahead shoot. I have already won." _

_The nameless woman felt tears sting her eyes. Everything he said was absolutely right. He took her meaning away from her. She was lost without it. She couldn't kill a man. She has lied, she has cheated, she has stolen, but could she actually take a life? She looked at him. She couldn't let him go either. _

_"Fuck you." With that, a bullet was sent through his skull, finishing him forever. _

_Blackness. _

_There was one more final image she had seen. It was of a little girl, no older than six years old. She was beautiful. She had milk chocolate hair that shimmered in the sunlight, which made her deep blue eyes stand out even more. She had never seen a blue do blue before. _

_The little girl was frolicking in a field of daisies, pulling the nameless woman by her wrist with her, laughing the whole time. She picked the nameless woman a daisy and gave it to her, with a giant smile of her face. She bent down to give her hug, and then…_

_Blackness. _

Vaas sat next to this stranger lying in his bed, staring at her as if she were a foreign object, something he has never seen before. It has been almost three days since he found her. He was chasing after a prisoner who thought it would be cute to play a game of "tag" with his men. He stopped at a clearing and then, _boom._ Out of the blue, she fell from the sky, as if she were a wounded bird. He ran over to her to check on her, when he realized that she had a giant spider bite on her hand. Without even thinking, he picked her up and ran back to camp as fast as he could to get her help.

Her bite was big and swollen. It had turned from a tomato red to a deep purple that began to spread up her arm. She didn't have much time. If she didn't get help soon, she was going to die. Cradling her in his arms as if she were a small child, he ran through the jungle as fast as he could, jumping over roots and dodging branches and vines. Once he got back to camp, she was already knocked out cold. He had no idea what to do. If only Doctor Earnhardt had been around. He occasionally supplied him and his men, but he was also very good with real medicine too.

Panicking, he laid her down gently in his own bed. "CARLOS! GET ME THE FUCKING NEEDLES!"

"How many-"Vaas cut him off angrily.

"ALL OF THEM, HERMANO! HURRAY! WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!" Vaas began to force water down her throat. She was really dehydrated. Carlos came back with tens of hypodermic needles. Vaas felt like this was really grasping at straws. They weren't much, but they were all they had. Vaas began pricking the bite with all the syringes, sucking up as much of the venom as he could. To his surprise, it was actually working. He breathing began to steady out, taking deeper, more calm breathes with every syringe. Once all of the needles were full, I took a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair, wondering what the fuck just happened to him.

Here he was, nearly three days later, staring at a complete stranger he saved for no apparent reason. If it had been anybody else, he probably would have laughed at them while he watched them gasp for breath, then once he was bored, he would have put them out of their misery and went back to searching for the runaway (who was eventually caught). He has never talked to, let alone seen this girl before, but there was something about her that he found interesting. He was almost infatuated with the idea of this stranger. Not only because she came out of nowhere, but of the things that she said in her sleep. She said things like "No, don't take her", and "I have got to find her". He wanted to crack open her skull and poke at her brain, to see what made her tick. He smiled at the thought of him doing so, not metaphorically, but litterally.

He rested his right elbow painfully on his knee, his right hand propping his head up while he thought, subconsciously watching her stir in her sleep. He let the empty syringe he had in case of emergency roll around in his other had. His thought was suddenly interrupted by one of his men barging in loudly.

"What the fuck, man?!" he scolded is soldier. "You scared the shit out of me!" The rookie looked down at his boots. Vaas could tell that he scared his soldiers, and he loved it.

"Sorry, sir. Some of the men were wondering if you would want us to get a cage ready, in case she wakes up." Vaas looked back at the sleeping beauty. An evil grin, similar to the man's in her dream, spread across his face.

"No, hermano," he said. "I think we will keep this one to ourselves."


	4. Waking Up at the Hands of a Psycho

There was nothing peaceful about her sleep. Her nightmares kept flashing in front of her eyes, as if she were in a dark room and the only source of light was lightning that flashed occasionally from outside. Every time she tried to reach for the memory of the dream, it was slip away from her even more. The only thing she could remember haunted her, it loomed over her consciousness like a ghost. The dream was of the little girl. She feels so happy when she is with her, but the moment that dream ends, she panics, as if something terrible happened to her. It made her feel so helpless. There was nothing she could do.

Vaas sat and watched her helplessly as she stirred in her sleep. Her ramblings got worse and worse as time went on. He tried to wake her on multiple occasions, but nothing worked. She would just lie there, still thrashing and rambling. He hoped that she would wake soon. He couldn't take much more of this bullshit. At first, he didn't mind sitting with her. It gave him an escape from the present. But now, her thrashing and rambling was getting boring and annoying.

Suddenly, her eyes flickered open. Vaas snapped out of his thought and scooted closer to her. He watched her struggle to get up.

"Easy, princesa," he said soothingly. "You still are very weak." She tried to sit up, slower this time. She felt a pressure on her wrists and ankles. Dazed and confused, she looked down at her appendages. _What the hell_ she thought to herself as she noticed that she was tied down to the bed. Panic started to set in as she struggled to move.

"What the fuck is this?" she squealed to the stranger, still struggling to move. The man leaned back in his chair, nonchalantly crossing his arms as he watched her struggle.

"Calm down, hermana. I saved your fucking life. I think I deserve a little appreciation." He was so condescending. She wanted to get up and deck him right in the jaw.

"Wh-what happened?" she stuttered as she tried to calm herself.

"You were bit by a poisonous spider, chika. My little friends and I nursed you back to health."

"Why the actual FUCK am I tied up then?" She was raging, she was so angry. Vaas leaned in closely.

"We may have fixed you up, hermana, but you are still our prisoner." Her heart began to race.

"Prisoner?! What do you-"

"No no no, princesa," he interrupted. "It is my turn to ask shitty questions. For one, what the hell are you doing on my island." His voice turned darker and angrier. She scrambled for a reason.

"I…um…I came here for a job." She was a horrible liar. Vaas shook his head angrily.

"A job, hmm?"

"Uh, yeah." Vaas laughed even more.

"Don't worry. You will have plenty work here soon, hermana. Now why are you really here, hm? No more bullshit." She decided that she was screwed with whatever answer she gave. She might as well tell the truth.

"I don't know."

"I will ask again. Why are you here?"

"I don't know!"

"One more time! Why are you fucking here, hermana!"

"I. Don't. Know." Vaas stood up angrily and threw his chair across the dilapidated hut.

"YOU ARE REALLY STARTING TO PISS ME OFF, CHICA!" he screamed. She couldn't help but flinch. He put his hands behind his head as he paced the room angrily.

"I just woke up on the beach, I swear! I have no memory!" Vaas stopped dead in his tracks when he heard this. He chuckled.

"Really? You know nothing?" She slowly nodded her head. He looked very amused. He walked over to where she was, gripping both of her wrists as he leaned in closely.

"Listen up, princesa. I am going to untie you now. BUT, if you try anything funny," he leaned in uncomfortably close. "I will gut you like a pig. Are we understood?" She nodded her head, trying to lean away from him. He began to untie her wrists and her ankles. For a few seconds, he just held her down to the bed. He was enjoying the power. She scowled as he finally got off of her. She slowly sat up after he sat down, watching him closely.

"What's your name, Hermana?" she looked down at her rope-burned wrists, not wanting another outburst from him. "Are you fucking deaf? What is your name?"

"Promise," she said the first thing coming to her mind. "My name is Promise."

Vaas chuckled. "That is a strange name for a person, is it not?"

"Yeah, well, it's my name." She looked up from her wrists. "Is your name Vaas?" He nodded his head and chuckled.

"Smart girl…just not smart enough to know when you are in too deep." The newly named Promise swallowed her fear. She had no idea what was going on or what to say or do.

"Come," Vaas said cheerfully. "Let's go for a walk."

**Hey guys! I am sorry it took me this long to update. I have been really busy with getting ready for back to school and all. Plus, my Wi-Fi has some serious issues! I am not really happy with this chapter. I am having some really bad writer's block. I am really open to ideas, so if you have any, drop me a message or suggest something in a review! I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read my story! I love you!**


	5. A New Recruit

**I should probably mention that I do not own Far Cry 3, the stories, or characters affiliated with it. I only own my O.C.'s that just happened to collide with the Far Cry universe. Thanks!**

Promise swallowed the pain as she jerked her wrist away from Vaas' grasp. Her wrists were raw and bleeding from being tied up. "I can walk myself, you know." Vaas continued walking, not even looking back at her. "You are a fiery one, hermana. I like it." She scowled at him and rolled her eyes.

As they got deeper into the camp, she noticed that he had an entire army of men at his disposal, each one giving her creepy, unsettling, looks. She crossed her arms across her chest, hugging herself, trying to hide any bit of skin she can. She completely forgot that she was in a dress that was even more ripped apart now. The entire situation made her skin crawl. She finally looked in front of her, staring at the man leading the way.

"Uh, where are we going?" she asked with a little more attitude than she was comfortable with.

"Well, take a look around for yourself, princesa." She looked away from her kidnapper to see cages. There were dozens of them, each one containing a number of people shying away from Vaas as if they were scared dogs and he was their abusive master. The only thing separating them from temporary safety and their Grimm Reaper were flimsy bamboo bars. Vaas caught her off guard, walking up next to her, too close for comfort as he whispered in her ear.

"Do you have any idea where you are, hermana?"

"Oh my God," she whispered. She began to put two and two together. Nobody would have these many hostages for no reason. She felt him let an evil grin form on his face as he walked to one of the cages and pulled out a captive.

"This here is my product and these people, whether they like it or not, are my next top selling item. If they don't cooperate or nobody can find any use for them-"he pulled out his pistol and sent a bullet through the man's skull as he begged for mercy. She jumped at the sound of the loud bang. Some of the hostages have begun to cry and others began screaming. Vaas chuckled. "Well, let's just say you don't want that to happen."

Promise felt a lump begin to grow in her throat. Actually, she was somewhat surprised at how she reacted. She was almost numb to that man's death and to the captives suffering in the cages. She took that little bit of courage that she found and swallowed the lump in her throat.

_Alright Promise, what should we do? Think. _She tried her best to think of an escape plan. Where could she go? The island can't be that big. Even if she did escape from the tens of blood thirsty men, where would she go? She had no way off the island, plus she had no home. She sighed. _I can't believe I am about to do this. This is the single stupidest thing a person can EVER do._

"You're in the slave trade?" she asked, her voice shaking. He didn't say anything. "You're a pirate?" No answer. She closed her eyes and took one last deep breath. "I want to join you."

His eyes shot up and met hers. She was already regretting saying it. She wouldn't even think of it if she felt like she had any other choice. She had nowhere to go and she sure as hell didn't want to be sold or, even worse, killed. After what felt like an eternity, he finally answered with a loud, hysterical laugh.

"_You_ want to join _us,_ hermana?" His condescending remark made her angry.

"Did I stutter?" He had to admit, she was feisty and brave. He liked that. He couldn't help but feel that it was an awful idea, though. She would get eaten alive out there. Besides, he was almost positive Hoyt would be pissed if he kept something they could make a profit on.

"Hermana, if that jungle doesn't eat you alive, the natives we go toe to toe with will."

"You saw how I was surviving out in the jungle. I would have been just fine if you bastards didn't come along. Besides, I know how to work a gun." She was lying. She had no idea if she could work a gun, and if she could, she had no memory of it. She could tell that Vaas was getting pissed off over her stubbornness. Without another word, he walked over to one of the cages and pulled a girl out by her long, auburn hair and threw her in front of Promise. She had clearly been beaten a few times. She was young, no older than twenty-one, her hands were tied behind her back and she was gagged. Vaas forced her on her knees. She stayed obediently, crying through her gag, begging not to be hurt. Vaas walked over to Promise and handed her an AK-47 that was propped up against one of the cages.

"Tell you what, hermana. If you can shoot her with an automatic rifle, you're in. But, if you can't even hit her with a single bullet, you go in that cage and behave like you were supposed to. GOT IT?!"

"OKAY!" she screamed back, trying to push his buttons. She turned the gun's safety off and held it to her face to aiming. The captive girl was now screaming and crying. Without any emotion, she unloaded on her, hitting her body with every single shot. She watched her body jerk as every bullet hit her until she finally hit the ground.

Killing a person isn't very hard. You just have to put your emotions behind you. After that, it is clear coasting. All you have to do is aim, then with one tiny movement of the finger, bang. It's over. That person is gone, and you are still here.

She lowered her gun, unfazed by the event. She looked over at Vaas as she threw him the weapon. She could tell he was stunned. She smirked at him. "So when do I get the uniform?"

He stood there for a minute in shock. He knew the whole time, whether she asked or not, that he was going to keep her for himself. She was to interesting to waste on a client, not to mention, beautiful. He clapped his hands slowly as he chuckled at her audacity.

"Very nice, princesa. I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed."

"So am I in?" she asked, hopefully. He walked up to her, very close. He was just a couple inches away from colliding with her body.

"I guess we could figure something out." She scowled at him as she walked back to the camp. He laughed as he ran to catch up with her.

**Hello once again, guys! I haven't been very happy with these last two chapters, but I am not the least bit worried. I am starting to get my shit together and see where this one is heading. It will start to really take off next chapter. Remember, drop me a message or write a review to give suggestions! Thanks! **


	6. The Beginning of Her Next Chapter

Promise sat on the floor in the corner of the hut she was in in her coma state, lightly banging her head against the wall as she thought. Too much happened too soon for her liking. One moment, she was an innocent amnesiac, the next she joined a band of heartless pirates. She didn't know why she did it. She had nowhere to go. She felt that she had no other choice, yet there was something else there, almost like a want. She _wanted_ to become one of them.

She stopped the assault on the back of her head and looked down at the AK-47 that rested in her lap, still deep in thought. Not only did she get herself involved where she had no place, she killed an innocent girl. She just pointed the gun at her helpless body, and that was it. She was dead. That wasn't what scared her, though. What scared her were the feelings that she got once she did it. She didn't feel guilty, nor did she feel a rush or happiness. She felt numb, as if it was just an everyday act, like brushing your teeth or eating a meal. The gun had a strange familiarity to it, as if she was simply revisiting a memory. She looked up and began to bang her head lightly once again, as if it would eventually knock the memories back into place.

_Who the fuck am I?_ She rummaged her brain for memories, trying to answer the question she has been asking for forever now, not coming up with a valid answer. She always went back to a certain…dream she had when she was out. The little girl haunted her thoughts every unoccupied second. She didn't even remember knowing her, yet she would jump in front or a train for her. Every time she thought of her, she felt happy and safe, but at the same time, a deep sorrow, loss, and anger. She put her face in her hands, deciding that she was simply insane. Her thought process was interrupted as a door was kicked open with a loud bang.

"Hermana!" she threw her head back and groaned. Vaas was on her back all day, proding her with annoying questions and wit. She was rapidly beginning to get sick of her new leader. Vaas did his best to look offended at her reaction.

"Is that any way to treat someone who brought you new, clean clothes to wear?" The thought of getting out of her grungy dress made her excited, but she didn't show it. Vaas smirked as he helped her up and handed her the clothes.

"I'm sorry, they aren't a beautiful white dress, but you will find them functional for your duties." She rolled her eyes. She didn't even know why she was in a dress. From what she could tell, she hated dresses.

She examined each piece of clothing. The top was a burgundy, very tight fitting tank. The bottoms were dark green military style pants, much tighter than the men's. For shoes she was given big and clunky army boots that looked like they could do a lot of damage. To top it off, she was given a red bandana to wear as she wishes.

"Thanks," she said begrudgingly. He folded his arms and nodded his head. They stood there for a minute in awkward silence. "Well I guess I should change." He nodded his head in the same fashion as before. She was starting to get annoyed now. "Alone!" she said through gritted teeth.

"Damn." With that, he was gone. She rolled her eyes. She was not going to let him see her naked willingly any time soon.

Once she was sure he was gone, she let her dress fall to the floor. She gingerly pulled on her new clothes, trying not to hurt her muscles. They were really sore, probably from the all of the tree hopping she did days before. Once she had everything on and fitted, she turned to a grungy mirror that was hanging on the wall. Almost jumped at her own reflection. She looked exactly like one of the pirates, just a female version. To top it off, she picked up the bandana and tied it around her left bicep using her teeth. She had to admit, she looked like a bit of a bad ass. Gathering her confidence, she walked out to meet her leader once again.

He was standing a few yards away from the door as if he were standing guard. He didn't even notice that she emerged from the hut. A playful smile emerged on her face as she ran up behind him and tapped his shoulder. Before she could say anything, he whipped around with a knife in hand. He pressed it against her throat, not letting his guard down. His face was just centimeters from hers. She finally got to take a good look at his eyes. They were a deep emerald green. They were unsettling yet stunning. They made her breathing pattern quicken. She tried to shake out of the trance his eyes put her in. His face softened once it finally sunk in that it was just his new colleague.

"Jesus fucking Christ, man!" she yelled. "Jumpy much?" He chuckled, removed his knife from her neck and backed up. He tried to hide the discomfort that the tension between the two gave him.

"Hermana, when you have been on the island for as long as I have, you never let your guard down. That is something you should learn too, princesa. Something can take you at any second." She crossed her arms and scoffed as Vaas started to trot backwards.

"Come on, hermana! Our little camp is having a party tonight and you are coming with me." He was enjoying himself a little too much for Promise's liking. She followed him.

"Can I choose _not _to come?" she asked with as much attitude as she could muster.

"Nope, you have no choice, chika." She was silent.

"Loosen up! It will be fun!" He turned forward again and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, taking her by surprise.

"Going to a party with a bunch of strange pirate men and being the only woman there? I highly doubt it, _hermano._" She put extra emphasis on the "hermano" as if she were mocking Vaas. He did nothing but laugh hysterically. His laugh gave her a smile she couldn't fight away.

"Don't worry puta! I will protect you," he said as he hugged her closer, whether she liked it or not. "Besides, you won't be the only girl there. We have strippers we hire for our parties." He let his arm fall away from her as he ran ahead of her, forcing her to chase after him playfully.

"Great, pirates and strippers." She quickened her pace to a jog as she followed the pirate lord.


	7. Partying Pirate Style

Once Promise finally caught up to Vaas, she could hear the bass of the music getting louder as they neared the heart of the camp.

"What is this?" she yelled, trying to be heard over the loud party music.

"It is the best damn fiesta you will ever go to, hermana!" he yelled back.

"Okay, but why?"

"We like to celebrate!"

"What are you celebrating tonight?"

"Being alive!" Before she could say anything else, he pulled her by her wrist towards the party even more. At the heart of the camp ground was a dangerously tall bon fire. All around were pirates either getting drunk off of their asses or getting higher than a kite. Others were dancing while harassing the strippers who complied with their demands. It was definitely a strange sight to see, but she had to admit, it did look fun.

"Can I get you a drink, Chiquita?"

She let the corner of her mouth turn up into a half smile. "No," she replied, teasingly.

"Vodka it is!" With that he was gone to make her the drink she didn't ask for. As she waited, she looked around at the party goers. The people that were not enjoying drugs, alcohol, or strippers were all staring at her as if she were a piece of meat. It made her uncomfortable. She more than likely couldn't take on any of them if they decided to attempt an assault. They were all large and muscular and she was just a puny woman. Without taking her eyes away from her line of vision, she reached down to where her survival knife should have been. It was gone. She had no weapon in case she needed to defend herself.

"Here you go chica." The arm that flopped around her shoulders and his loud voice made her jump out of her skin.

"Christ, Vaas! How many times are you going to do that today?" she asked as she took the drink out of his other hand.

"You're so uptight, puta! You need to relax and have a little fun."

"How can I not be uptight when all of your men stare at me that way?" she asked as she hugged herself. Vaas shot them all death glares. They immediately looked away. In a sense, they were all genuinely afraid of him and making him angry was the last thing they wanted to do.

"It's okay, cariño! Su príncipe azul will protect you!" She rolled her eyes as if she knew what he said even though she really didn't. His Spanish accent gave her goose bumps; she just wasn't going to let it show. Without another word, he pulled her over where the bon fire was situated and he began to dance. She nearly choked on her drink laughing. Vaas looked at her, offended.

"What?" he asked, half joking, half hurt.

"Nothing, I just really like your dancing," she lied through her giggles. "It's…original."

"Well come on! Get 'original' with me, chica!"

"I don't know if I can. That dancing is pretty fucking original." She was laughing again. Before she could say anything else, her drink was knocked out of her hand and Vaas pulled her really close as they danced "originally" together. Against her better judgment, she decided to just give in and dance with him. One night dancing together couldn't hurt, right?

He whipped her around so that her back was firm against his front as he began to grind on her. She didn't know how to "dirty dance" but she complied anyways, despite the discomfort.

"Oh, Dios mío eres tan jodidamente sexy!" he cooed in her ear. She turned around, taking away absolutely nothing away from that sentence except "sexy". She playfully pushed him away as he put his hands up in defense.

"That isn't going to work on me until I have had a few more drinks in pumped in me," she said teasingly. He smiled and shook his head as he ran towards a dilapidated hut.

"RODRIGUEZ! WE NEED MORE VODKA!" she laughed to herself as she watched him enter the hut. She looked around at the other pirates. Still somewhat concerned about being surrounded by drunken pirates, she walked away from the bon fire and leaned up against one of the huts and watched as the others partied.

"You know, they are all intimidated by you." She looked over to see a man leaning against the door frame nonchalantly. He was tall and muscular, but not nearly as muscular as Vaas. His skin was tanned, making his blondish-brown hair stand out even more. He had deep blue eyes and a scar that went from his lower lip to the bottom of his chin. He was in the same uniform everyone else was, except his bandana was tied like a sweat band around his fore head. She smiled warmly. Finally, someone who was friendly.

"Really? Because they all look like they want to eat me alive." He chuckled lightly at her comment.

"Yeah, I guess it is a little bit of that too."

"Why do you say that I intimidate them?"

"Well, you are the first woman to successfully join us. Vaas doesn't even let well-trained men in if he can help it. He must really see something in you." Promise chuckled. "It doesn't help matters that you have this strong, sexual grasp on him." She smiled and shook her head.

"Are you intimidated by me?"

"Not one bit."

"Good. It is nice to have a friend around here. My name is Promise." She reached out her hand and offered a hand shake. He complied.

"I am Connor. Where you from? You look like you're lost."

"I guess I am. Where are you from, Connor?"

"I was born in California, but I jumped from place to place my entire life."

"That's cool. But how did you get down here and become a pirate?"

"Well, I was running out of options. Nobody wanted to give a good paying job to a guy like me that hopped around from place to place with no good training. One day, I heard about an opening down here, changed my name, hijacked a plane, killed dozens of people, and made my way down here." Promise's eyes bulged.

"You really killed dozens of people and hijacked a plane?" she asked, somewhat shocked. The corners of his lips turned into a smile.

"Nah, I'm fucking with you." Promise sighed in relief. "I really had no other choice. I was promised food, shelter, adventure and a tropical island. Who could pass that up?" She nodded in agreement. Connor seemed so nice and genuine. She could never see him hurting, let alone killing an innocent person. "What about you? What are you doing down on Rook Island?"

"Well, I honestly have no idea. I just woke up on the beach with no memory. The only thing I have to remember myself by is this tattoo." She lifted up her wrist to show him.

"And that is how you got your unique name?" She nodded her head as they were interrupted by Vaas holding a bottle of vodka and two red solo cups.

"Hey hermana, I see you met one of my best men." Connor lifted up two of his fingers and sarcastically saluted his leader. "I am sure you two damas will be working with each other a lot on our little missions," he said, once again grabbing Promise's wrist. "I hate to break up your guys' little get together, but we have a lot more partying to do."

"It's cool. I've got some shit I have to smoke. See you guys around." With that, he disappeared into his hut once again.

"Come on, hermana. Let's go somewhere a little bit quieter so we can talk more comfortably." She rolled her eyes playfully as Vaas dragged her away from the party scene.

**Well guys, I can honestly say I like where this is going! The pace is a little bit quick and the beginning a bit rocky, but I can see how it will straighten out in the future. I would like to thank everyone who has been writing reviews, favoriting, following, and just reading it! I really appreciate the support. Because of your awesome support, I was motivated to write this chapter today as opposed to tomorrow. Remember, inbox and review! I love suggestions and your criticism! It makes me a stronger** writer!


	8. A Very Complicated Past

Once Promise and Vaas were away from the annoyingly loud noise from the party, they found a flat rock to sit next to each other on and have a drink. Once they got situated in their new venue, Vaas cracked open the bottle of vodka and poured a generous amount for each of them in their own plastic cups.

"So this is what you guys do?" she asked sarcastically. "You enslave people then get drunk off of your asses?"

Vaas chuckled. "Basically. The easy life. I think you will learn to love it."

"Yeah, I'm sure I will." She just realized how weird and fast everything was going. First she was captured by this Vaas, now he was getting flirty with her. Not to mention, _she is now a fucking pirate._ With these thoughts swirling around in her mind, she took another huge swig of her drink, sending a burning sensation down her throat then finally cooling down to just a warm feeling in her tummy.

"Well, you asked me a shit load of questions," she said playfully. "Now it's my turn."

Vaas chuckled a little bit. "You can ask, but I can't guarantee that I will answer them."

She nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, why did you become a pirate?"

"Not answering that one."

"Oh come on!"

"It is a long, boring story, puta."

"I have a shit load of vodka in me and I have the entire night."

"Maybe later." He looked down at his boots. She could tell that she crossed a line. They sat there for a moment in complete silence.

"I know that you know that I have little to no experience in your work," she admitted. "and I am sure that you could have made an okay prophet off of me. Why did you keep me? Why didn't you put me up for sale like you would have done any other girl?" He looked up at the night sky as if a good answer would appear in the stars.

"Well hermana, I see a lot of potential in you. Your little camp you had set up the day I found you was quite impressive, not to mention you didn't get eaten alive by the jungle while you slept." She nodded her head to show that she understood what he was saying. "And, you are…interesting."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Interesting?"

"Si, interesting. I don't know what it is about you, but everything you say or do has me curious. I want to learn everything about you just like you want to learn everything about yourself." She nodded as she looked back down at her boots awkwardly. The sat there for a few moments in silence, the only things breaking the noise were soft cricket chirps and the bass of the music back at camp that can barely be heard. After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, Vaas finally spoke up.

"There is a native tribe on the islands called the Rakyat. This was their island until the pirates took it over to use for the slave trade." Promise looked up from her boots as Vaas solemnly told the story. "I was born Rakyat. I had a nice family once. My mom, my papa, and my sister, Citra." As Vaas sorrowfully told his story to Promise, her jaw dropped just a little bit. She was shocked that he has been through so much, that his own sister would betray him like that. Suddenly, there was a little bit more clarity, a little bit more of a reason to his madness. She actually began to feel sympathy for the man who tied her down to a bed and killed and sold innocent people. "…and that is basically how I joined Hoyt."

She looked down at the ground, unsure what to say or do. Finally, she forced herself to get up and offer a hand to help him up. "You know, I have an awful lot of alcohol in my system. Maybe if you used that sexy Spanish skill of yours, you can convince me to go back and dance with you.

Vaas smiled back up at Promise. "¿Hay alguna posibilidad de que me echar un polvo esta noche?" He took her hand and let her help him up. She grabbed is hand and pulled him in the direction of the party.

"I have no idea what you said, but it was adorable. Let's go dance."

**This is an ultra-short chapter, huh? I just wanted to post something to give a little more meat to their developing relationship! Vaas seemed a little bit out of character to me, but love does that to us all, doesn't it? Anyways, more coming tomorrow. Remember, follow favorite, review, inbox, all that jazz. I really appreciate it!**


	9. A Nameless Orphan

_It was a cloudy night. The moon was barely visible through the clouds threatening to storm, releasing their wrath. Promise was walking down a deserted sidewalk of a dimly lit city. The city wasn't much. It was once a lively town, filled with tourists and commotion. As time passed, so did the city's life. The building began to wear, the people began to leave, taking everything the little city had with them. Now it was small, lonely, and deserted._

_Promise zipped up her leather jacket as a wind chill hit her hard and relentlessly. She did not own a car because money was tight and a bike would only make matters with the weather worse, so she decided to walk today. she pulled out a pack of gum and shakily ripped a stick from its place and popped it into her mouth. It was day twelve of quitting cigarettes and she felt as if she were going insane, the craving always clawing at the back of her mind._

_She slowly passed a dark alley. She heard rustling noises coming from deep within it. Deciding she did not want to mess with whoever or whatever was in there, she sped up her pace._

_"Hey!" She nervously turned around to see a little girl, no older than eight, standing before her. Her chestnut brown hair was knotted, beady, yet happy, eyes stared back at her. "Where are you going?"_

_She looked around every which way, trying to see if there were any witnesses to what was going on. "I am going home."_

_"That's cool. I was just wondering if you wanted to talk or something. It gets lonely out here."_

_Her nervous face softened, but was still confused. "Sure, I would love talk with you." She slowly approached the girl with caution._

_"Do you want to go to the alley and sit?"_

_"I think that maybe we should stay out here. It is safer."_

_"Suit yourself."_

_She looked around nervously. "Where are your parents?"_

_She looked all around, as if trying to find a good answer. "I don't think I have any." Promise shifted down to the girl's height. She was very concerned for this little girl. Was she really an orphan? "What's your name?" Her question interrupted her thought process._

_"My name is Shae." She searched her head for what to do. "Um...would you mind coming with me?"_

_"Yeah, I will come with you. Can we get something to eat?"_

_"I will get you some food, but first, what is your name, little girl?"_

_"I dunno."_

_"Well what should we call you then?" The little girl looked all around, expecting the propper answer to jump out in front of her. She finally looked up at a neon sign that read: Promise and Virtue Boutique. She smiled._

_"Promise. You can call me Promise."_

Promise woke up in the jungle, standing in front of a tree. She spun around in every which direction, trying to peg what happened. She looked down at her sore feet to see that she was barefoot. It was still early in the morning, the sun just barely peaking its head out from the horizon in the east. She rubbed her eyes, trying to gather her confused thoughts.

Sleep walking. I was sleep walking. She sat down in front of the tree, exhausted. She leaned up against the trunk as she thought. She recapped the dream. Although she could remember some things, the harder she tried to remember others, the further they would get from her reach. She remembered one phrase uttered by the little girl that haunted her memory.

"Promise. You can call me Promise."

Deciding that trying to remember was a moot point, she slowly stood up, hearing Vaas call her so-called name.

"Promise! Her man a, where are you?!"

"I'm over here!" she cried, half heartedly. Vaas hurried to meet her.

"There you are, chica. I had the entire mother fucking camp looking for you. What happened?"

"Nothing," she lied. "Just went for a walk."

"Next time, tell me before you pull that bullshit, princesa." She half heartedly nodded her head, still focused on her dream. "Get back to camp on the double. You have a shit load of training to do." With that, he was gone. Still perplexed by what was going on, she slowly followed.

**So I saw this app on the market place and I was like "You know what? Screw it. I can't wait for forever to get my laptop fixed." So I downloaded it to try! It is an adjustment, but it works great with my Nexus 7! The app is called OliveOffice. It is pretty sweet! That is why the spacing is different. Sorry if there are any blatant typos, I tend to fat finger a lot and the auto correct on this thing tends to do whatever the hell it wants! Follow favorite, review, all that good stuff!**


	10. Gambling With Your Life

Promise cursed to herself as she sprinted through the jungle, dodging branches and jumping over roots as she went. She was getting really god damned sick of having to do this. Usually, Vaas made her do this as an exercise early in the morning, but now she was doing it for a different reason. A reject was in line to be disposed of and he bolted, still imprisoned with restraints and everything. Of course, she was tasked to do the dirty work and chase after the bastard through the jungle.

She had been on the island for at least a week and a half now. She was put through training for the first week, then after that, she was actually put through a few tasks. She dealt with the rejects once, she also helped with a few ransom videos, but nothing major. Actually, this place, this life style, was growing on her. She shuttered at her own thought. _Nothing major._ She used that phrase "nothing major" as if killing or selling innocent people was not a big deal. She didn't like what she was becoming, but on the other hand, she also didn't really care.

She heard the prisoner trip and grunt. She smiled, knowing that he was broken and couldn't go any further. Once she approached him, she pounced on his back and twisted his right arm back. She laughed at his cries of pain.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" she screamed in his ear. "Did you really think, that you could escape from us?!" He was crying and begging now. Pathetic. "You are nothing! You're so called 'family' proved that when they wouldn't pay your ransom!" She pulled her pistol out of its holster and bullet in the back of his leg, listening for his cry of pain. "You don't make me run mother fucker!" She finally unloaded her gun in his head, still shooting once his breathing stopped.

"Impressive." Promise whipped around, wiping blood off of her lip to see Vaas, her new commander standing and watching. She looked down at the body awkwardly. She didn't know what it was, but lately any time Vaas was around, she got really nervous. She wrote it off. She didn't want to be, let alone look, weak.

"Thanks." Vaas kicked himself off of the tree he was leaning against.

"Your training has gone great, hermana." She noticed a strange look on his face, almost as if he was worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked, awkwardly. She could tell that something was up.

"Word about you spread to Hoyt."

"Hoyt?"

"My employer. He wants you over for a drink and a game of poker tonight. Alone."

"Why is that a problem?" She shifted her weight over to her left foot and let her arms cross. It was a habit that she formed when she is deep in thought or concerned.

"He is angry that I didn't sell you. He thinks you would have made a good profit. I told him that you are making us twice the amount of money, but he wants to see for himself."

"So I will go for the poker game, prove that I am amazing," she made an effort to put a lot of condescending emphasis on the word _amazing._ "And then it will be over with." Vaas chuckled a bit.

"He is a dangerous man, princesa. I guess I was just a little bit worried for your safety."

"No more dangerous than you! I can take care of myself you know. Besides, why are you so concerned about me all of a sudden?" she asked, teasingly. Vaas grinned.

"I put a lot of hard work into saving you, puta. You were too big of a pain in the ass to deal with to just throw away like that." She rolled her eyes at his snide comment.

"Yeah, right." They walked back to camp together, leaving the body behind. The jogged back to camp, and Vaas led her into the shack that they inevitably share. She was not happy about rooming with him, but she didn't really have any other choice, besides, Vaas was kind enough to give her the bed and he camped out on the floor. She tried to protest because she felt guilty, but he insisted. Once they arrived, she sat down on the very cot that she nearly died in days before.

"Cigarette?" Vaas held out the pack to her. She hesitantly took one, not believing that she was a smoker before she arrived on the island. He lit it up for her and she took a long drag, trying to hold back her fits of coughing. She didn't want to look like an idiot.

"I will have Connor escort you to his island. Just a word of advice, be good at gambling, princesa. He loves that shit. He believes that gambling skills apply in battle situations. Just be yourself. ¿De acuerdo?"

"Okay. But what if I am really bad at gambling?"

"No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano." She nodded at his words of Spanish wisdom. She has never seen him like this. He was so calm, so mellow. Usually, he is bouncing off of the walls, but today he seems almost worried about her going to meet Hoyt. With that thought, Connor walked in.

"Ready, cupcake?" That was a nickname he had pinned to her during training. Sometimes, he would join her training and call her that in combat situations to make her angry, to motivate her in a way. Over the week, they have become like siblings.

"Let's go."

It was a long, silent drive to the air strip. To be frank, Promise was actually pretty nervous to meet this Hoyt person. From what she could tell, everyone was a little intimidated by him, especially Vaas. It scared her to think that there was someone out there that could intimidate even the toughest, most ruthless man alive.

She boarded the helicopter alone, thinking about the dinner to herself. She almost didn't even feel the length of the ride because of her thought. They finally landed on a different island. She ripped off her headset and hopped out. She may have been tough, but whenever she had to climb onto or out of a vehicle, she felt so small. It was always a struggle because of her height of five foot three.

She looked up and noticed a man surrounded by three guards waiting for her. All of the guards wore the same army uniform, practically bulging out of it with muscle. The man she assumed to be Hoyt had on a sports coat and a red button-up shirt that exposed his chest and his gold chain. His hair was slicked back with something really greasy. It was so shiny; she could practically see her reflection in it. She walked over to the man who was evilly grinning and holding out his hand for a hand shake.

"I am assuming that you are the Promise I was promised?" he laughed at his own pun. Promise forced herself to laugh to.

"That would be me." She felt really sheepish.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed with his thick south African accent. "May I escort you in?" He held out his elbow for Promise to take. She hesitantly took it as they walked back to the large building. He told he about his business, not letting her get a word in edgewise, so she just smiled and nodded at his comments. She just wanted this to be over.

Finally, they reached the top of the large building and entered a luxurious office with a giant window situated in the back. He pulled out her chair at a table for her and begun to serve drinks.

"Would you like some scotch, my dear?"

"Scotch sounds great, thanks." Hoyt motioned for the guards to leave as he grabbed two glasses and a bottle of scotch. He gingerly poured it and handed the glass to Promise. She took a swig and choked on the drink as it scorched her throat and insides.

"I forgot how much I fucking hate scotch." Hoyt laughed as he sat down.

"I like you," he said as he took a swig of his own scotch without even blinking. "You've got spunk and you're funny." He began to shuffle the cards. "That is a problem on this island. Everyone is always so serious. That, and the natives are always a pain in the ass." He began to deal the cards.

"Yes, Vaas told me about them." Hoyt gave her a puzzled look.

"He did? He doesn't usually open up about his past to anybody."

"Really?"

"Yes. He must really trust you." He smiled cheekily and Promise rolled her eyes. "So tell me, Promise," he said darkly as he threw down his cards and leaned over the table. "Why are you really here on this island?" She smiled and leaned close as well.

"I have no fucking clue." She watched him reach down for something under the table. Her instincts kicked in and she pulled out her hunting knife. She watched him as if something slowed down time, making each one of his moves predictable. Finally, time sped up and both of their knives locked together, saving both of them. They stood there awkwardly, until Hoyt finally let out a loud, raucous laugh.

"You have pretty good skills, dearie. Pretty good with a knife." He sat back down and picked his cards up. "At first, I thought that you would be worthless, but you are slowly proving me wrong." She smiled.

"Let's really raise the steaks, Hoyt. If I win this round, you have no choice but to let me stay, let me do what I want, and let me assume the position of a soldier, not just some woman that is a pain in the ass and disposable. If I lose, you are welcome to kill me, banish me whatever you please." Hoyt looked down at his cards and then back at Promise and smiled.

"Deal."

"I will show first." Promise laid down her cards on the table and smiled. "Full house."

Hoyt chuckled and laid down his cards as well. "Pair of deuces." Promise looked down at his cards then back at him shocked. "I never doubted that you wouldn't make a good addition to our little team here. You are promising, Promise." He laughed at his own pun once again.

"Thank you, sir." He got up and walked over to Promise and offered his arm.

"Come. Vaas is outside waiting for you."

Once she reached the chopper, she noticed Vaas waiting for her nervously.

"How'd it go, hermana?" he asked expectantly. She plastered a huge smile on her face.

"I think it went pretty well."

**Hey guys! It is me again! Here is the next chapter of my story! It isn't the best, but I felt like I needed to add some tension with Hoyt. The next chapter will be great, I promise! I am proud to announce that we have reached over 900 views! Thank you so much for your support! I couldn't have made it this far without you! Remember, review, follow, favorite, message me, all that jazz. It REALLY motivates me to post things sooner than later! Thank you so much!**


	11. Wrecks and Attacks

It was a long ride back. Promise and Vaas did not speak. There was no sense in it because the helicopter was too loud to even hear yourself think practically. Every once in a while, they would exchanges awkward smiles, but other than that, there was almost no interaction between them. Vaas was acting really different lately, and it was freaking her out.

Vaas pulled out his walkie talkie, trying to hear the words coming out of its speaker.

"I'm sorry hermano, what...You need to speak the fuck up… I still can't fucking hear you."

"VAAS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK, I REPEAT, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" Promise looked up at the helicopter pilot, starting to worry. She was just about to ask him to speed up when she noticed his bicep. It was covered in tattoos that only the natives from the island wear.

Vaas was cursing as he leaped from his seat, pulled out his pistol, and shot both pilots. The helicopter started going down. They both hopped in the seats of the helicopter, trying to keep it in the air, but it was too late. There was no hope of a smooth landing.

"HOLD ON, HERMANA! THIS ISN'T GONNA BE SMOOTH!" With that, they watched the ground come towards their helicopter fast and then finally, they hit the ground hardly.

Promise opened her eyes, her vision really blurry. She hit her head pretty good, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She lifted up her arm and couched into her hand, trying to figure out how she was going to get out of the wreckage. She looked over to her door that was bent and out of shape. Still in a coughing fit from the smoke, she used her right foot to kick the door out. She slowly got up and propped herself against a tree, trying to regain her stability and vision. Her mind was going a thousand miles an hour. It felt like her mind was doing that a lot lately.

_Why are we under attack? Is everyone at camp okay? Where is Vaas? Wait! Vaas!_

She looked back at the wreckage to see Vaas still in the pilot's seat, knocked out cold. She stumbled over to him, trying to pry him out. After clawing at the mess for quite a while, she was finally able to drag him out, holding him from under his arms. Jesus, he was heavy. She propped him up against the tree and wiped blood away from her nose. He did not look good. He was covered in his own blood and his left arm appeared to be dislocated. She slapped at his face, trying to get him to wake up. There was no response. Somewhat panicking, she grabbed the walkie talkie that was situated on his belt. She paced as she tried to make contact.

"Come in home base, is anyone there?"

"Hey Cupcake." She sighed in relief and stopped pacing.

"Oh, thank god. Connor what is going on?"

"We are under attack by some of the natives. I don't know why the hell they would attack our home base though. That is just a death wish." The gun shots in the static of the walkie talkie matched the ones that could be heard in the distance.

"Are there any deaths?"

"Not so far. We are doing pretty good."

"Wounded?"

"Wow, you just really don't have a lot of faith in us." Promise sighed. She loved his brother-like humor, he just didn't know when it was okay to use it.

"Vaas and I were on our way back, but our pilots were Rakyat as opposed to who they should have been. I don't know what they were planning to do, but we took them out."

"What about Vaas?" Promise looked over at him. There was no sign of life except for his gentle breathing.

"He's knocked out cold from the crash. He has quite a few cuts and a dislocated arm, but I think he will be fine."

"Good. Try to get over here as fast as you can. We need the help." With that, she holstered the walkie talkie in her own empty slot and straddled Vaas, trying to think of what to do. She had to put his arm back in place, it would probably better to do it when he was out instead of while he was awake. She got up and walked over to the side in which he was wounded. She slowly lifted it up and then with a quick jerk, it was back into place. It made her feel sick. The pain woke Vaas up with a scream. He jolted up and clutched his shoulder, cursing the whole time.

"I'm sorry, it had to be put back into place-" she kept trying to explain defensively.

"No no no, it's okay hermana." His voice was really muffled. Promise stood up and walked over to him.

"We need to hurray. Camp isn't too far. We are under attack." Vaas cursed to himself as he pulled two AK's from the wreckage. He tossed one to Promise and then they bolted into the direction of the camp.

"What the fuck do they want?" Promise asked angrily.

"I have no fucking clue, but my sister won't stop until she gets it." With that, the two finally arrived to camp and immediately took cover behind two crates.

"It looks like there are only a few left!" Promise shouted over the gun fire. Every once in a while, she would peak out and get someone in the gut or the head. She looked over at the other crate where Vaas should have been, expecting a response. He wasn't there. She peaked her head over to see him unloading on the rest of the warriors, unloading on them, going fucking insane.

"MOTHER FUCKERS!" She laughed at his angry cries as he brutally murdered all of them. Promise ran out to join him, but it was too late. They were all already nothing but bloody messes on the ground. She slung the strap of her gun on her shoulder and put the gun on safety, trying to catch her breath.

"Holy shit," she said to herself. This was a lot for one day.

"You did well, Promise." She looked at him awkwardly.

"Uh, thanks." Vaas turned around and screamed to all of his men.

"I WANT THIS ENTIRE AREA SWEEPED! IF THERE IS EVEN ONE OF THOSE NATIVE PIECES OF SHIT, KILL THEM ON SIGHT! WE WILL SEND MY SISTER A MESSAGE!" With that, all of them scattered. Now, it was just Vaas and Promise. She looked around at the camp. The mess wasn't too bad. Just a few bullet holes here and there, but nothing major.

"Thanks for saving my ass back at the helicopter wreck, princesa." She looked over at Vaas and smiled.

"What else am I here for?" Vaas opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped himself and just smiled. Promise looked at Vaas and felt a strange feeling at the pit of her stomach. She tried to push it out, but it wouldn't go away.

"You have a pretty bad cut on your forehead," she told him as she turned his head to face her more. He lifted up his wrist and wiped the blood away that came from the cut just above his brow.

"It's fine."

"Uh, no it isn't," she said impatiently. "It needs to be treated." Before he could say another word, he was being dragged back to his hut and sat on the bed. Promise rummaged around, trying to find a first aid kit that she knew was being kept in here. Finally, she found it and sat it next to him.

"I'm fine Promise. There isn't-"

"Shhhhh!" she interrupted as she began to put alcohol onto a scrap of fabric she pulled from her pants. She bent down and straddled his lap without sitting, trying to get a good view of the cut. Vaas was looking her in the eyes. She tried to ignore him. "Okay, this is going to sting a little." She gently dabbed the alcohol onto his cut. He hissed at the pain. Once she was done she rubbed a bandage onto it.

"Thanks." She gave in and looked him in the eyes. He really had beautiful eyes. She has never seen eyes so green. She got that strange feeling at the pit of her stomach again. She shook herself out of the trance and walked away from him. She cleared her throat and looked down at her boots awkwardly.

"Uh, you're welcome." Vaas got up and walked over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked like he wanted to say something to her, but didn't. He looked down at the ground and walked outside, letting his hand slide off of her shoulder. Once she was sure that he was gone, she sighed and went to sit on the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair and got herself in thought.


	12. An Unplanned Trip to the Beach

_The woman we know as Promise walked into a tattoo shop. It didn't look like it was very sanitary or safe, but it was the only thing that her dilapidated town had to offer. She looked around at her surroundings, preparing herself for what she was about to do. She has had ear piercing done before, but nothing like this. She was nervous. _

_"Can I help you?" The man's voice took her out of her trance. He was a large man that was bald and had a long, graying goatee on his face. He had multiple piercings, gauges so big that you could fit a soda can in them, and he was head to toe covered in tattoos. She approached the man situated behind the check stand with his arms folded and his lips curled into a smile. _

_"I talked to someone on the phone earlier about getting a tattoo done." He smiled even larger at her. _

_"That was me. You're Shae, am I right?"_

_"Yes I am." _

_"Great! I'm Charlie." He reached out and they both shook hands. " I got the design all ready and everything. Follow me." She followed him to a room sealed away from the rest of the shop with a curtain. In the middle of the small room was a chair that looked like it came from a trashy dentist's office. Situated on the wall next to it was a poster with a cat hanging from a branch that read "Hang in there, baby!" It made her chuckle. _

_"Nice poster." Charlie looked at it and giggle. _

_"Yeah, it has kind of become a joke in the office. Please, have a seat." She sat down awkwardly in the chair as he took a seat on a stool with wheels. _

_"So where do we want it? Anywhere you have to take your pretty little clothes off?" She rolled her eyes at his advance. _

_"Nice try. I want it on my left wrist." She held out her wrist to him. He began to clean it with alcohol and trace the design on before using the actual needle. He finally grabbed his gun-like device and began to permanently mark her skin. She flinched at the pain. It felt like hundreds of little bees stinging her wrist._

_"Don't worry," he assured her, not taking his eyes off of his work. "You will get used to it after a few minutes." She nodded at his reassurance, biting her tongue. She hated pain, but not as much as she hated needles._

_"This is an interesting tattoo." She agreed with a smile, thankful for conversation. "Is there some sort of backstory to go with it? Was a promise made or something?" _

_"Actually, it's a name. It's the name of someone very close to me." _

_"Really? What a unique name." _

_"Yeah. It was a beautiful name. It fit her, too." _

_"So where is this Promise now?" She looked down at her other hand that was lying on her lap, trying her best to stay strong. _

_"She uh…she isn't with us anymore. Someone took her for forever." Charlie stopped his work and looked at her apologetically. _

_"I am so sorry, I didn't realize-"_

_"Don't worry about it." She hated it when people apologized because of Promise. She was strong. She didn't need their sympathy. She looked down at her feet this time. "She was my…adoptive daughter. I found her on the streets one day and took her in. We got all the legal work done, but she was still like a little sister to me. I loved her with all my heart." Charlie, still not working on her tattoo, looked at her deeply. "We were really happy together. One day, I was waiting for her school to get out. She never came out of the school. I couldn't find her anywhere. I called the cops, she was missing for a little more than a week, and then they called me. Someone found a body in a lake some fifty miles out of town." Charlie's heart dropped hearing her story. "There was a huge trial about it, and even though all evidence pointed towards her killer, he got off, free of all charges just about a week ago. Now, here I am, just almost a year removed from it all, still in a tremendous amount of pain." She could barely hide the tears now. Charlie looked down at her wrist and went back to work._

_"You are a very strong woman, Shae. I have two kids at home, a seven year old boy and a fifteen year old girl. I don't know what I would do without them." She smiled at him. "All I know is that if that happened to one of my kids, I wouldn't rest until I got my revenge." She looked up at him curiously. "And if I were to know someone who went out for revenge for something like that, I would totally support them and keep my mouth shut." Shae looked at the man, somewhat taken aback. He hadn't even looked up from his work. Was he implying something? She rested her head back on the chair, ignoring the sting on her wrist and thought._

_"Don't worry," Charlie said. "You only have just under an hour of this." She didn't respond. When he said the thing about revenge, something sparked in the back of her mind. She knew what she had to do. _

Promise's eyes flickered open once again. The sound of the ocean was deafening. The sand under her feet felt soft and ticklish. The smell of salt water filled her nose. _Wait,_ she thought to herself. _Am I on the beach?_ She whipped all around, trying to pinpoint her location. She sleep walked again. Luckily, she knew how to get back to camp again. She looked up at the sky. It was really early. Five o'clock in the morning at most. She began to stomp back to camp, cursing to herself. She was really getting sick of sleep walking and the maddening dreams that went hand and hand with it.

The harder she tried, the further the dream got from her memory. Once again, she could only remember the little girl. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She felt so helpless. She didn't know how to prevent these experiences from happening. She had no idea what was going on, no memory, and no control over her subconscious. A helpless feeling overwhelmed her as she got closer and closer back to camp.


	13. I Love You

**Warning: Adult Content! Do not read if you don't enjoy that sort of thing. You will not miss anything important, I promise!**

Deep in thought, Promise wandered into the camp. Her bare feet were aching from all the walking she had to do, her body shivering from the cool early morning air. She hugged herself, not taking her eyes off the ground she was walking on, deep in thought.

"There you are princesa!" She looked up to see Vaas standing a few meters away from her.

"Vaas? What are you doing up?" She began to advance toward him, still hugging her body tightly.

"I usually get up this early, hermana. I check on the captives." She nodded her head.

"Hey, what happened last night?" Vaas looked at her perplexed.

"Well, we did a little clean up then we went to bed at about one. Why?" She nodded her head.

"Just wondering." She didn't want to tell him about her sleep walking and memory loss. She didn't want him to think that she was insane. She didn't know how he would react or what he would do, but she didn't want to chance it.

"Where the hell did you go this morning?"

"I went down to the beach," she lied. "I wanted to go for a walk."

"You should have woken me up! I would have gone with you."

"Oh," she said, somewhat disappointed that she didn't. "Well do you want to go now?" Vaas looked back at the camp.

"Yeah, I think we have a little time, hermana." She nodded her head awkwardly as they both turned around and went back the way she came. Vaas halfheartedly made awkward small talk with her, and she halfheartedly answered. There was a strange tension between the two. She saw a softer, mellower side to Vaas that no one else seemed to see but her. She wasn't sure if she liked it or if she hated it.

Finally, they reached the beach. It was lighter outside now, but still pretty early in the morning. They sat down in the sand, sitting side by side of each other as they watched the horizon. It was silent. Almost too silent. Finally, Vaas broke the silence.

"Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?" She looked over at him, somewhat confused. He didn't look back. He just looked forward at the horizon. "The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing, fucking over and over and over and over again, expecting shit to change." She looked down at her feet, bringing her knees into her chest. She nodded in agreement, not sure where he was going with this or how she should respond. "I always fucking let people in," he continued. "And no matter what I do, they leave or stab me in the fucking back." She sympathetically looked back at him. She didn't know what to do. She looked back down and sighed. She really didn't care who or what he was. She had fallen for him. She didn't know how or why she did, but he was the only thing that she felt close to ever since she lost her memory and washed up on the island. This island and Vaas was all she had. All logic she had was thrown out the window.

"The crazy part is," he continued. "I think I would rather be insane then scared and alone for the rest of my life." Before she could respond, she felt herself off of the ground. She opened her eyes to see Vaas carrying her, laughing, and running to the ocean. Her eyes widened.

"VAAS, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!" He ignored her pleas as his boots finally met with the water. She was surprised when she found herself laughing and smiling.

"Lighten up, hermana! We are just going for a quick swim." She kicked and protested but the point was moot. He didn't even budge. He was too strong for her attacks to work. Finally, he reached hip length in, so he threw her in as well. The water dragged her under. Vaas just stood there and laughed as he watched her struggle. He looked back at the beach and then back to where she should have been. She was gone.

"Hermana?" He looked all around. "Hermana, where did you-" before he could finish his sentence, he felt himself being pushed in from his back. Promise giggled at her accomplishment of tackling him into the water. Before she could get up, she was being dragged further out into the ocean. They were in just above their shoulders now. She screamed and giggled when he stood up, nearly bucking her off of his back. She held on for dear life, not wanting to fall back again. She dismounted his back and stood in front of him, her chin just barely grazing the water. Her stomach dropped when he held her face in his hands and dragged her closer. She closed her eyes and tilted her head down. She didn't know what to say or do. He lifted her head back up and let his forehead rest on hers. She looked him in his beautiful green eyes. She broke contact again.

"Vaas, I can't-"he cut her off with a gentle _sssh._ He finally went in for a gentle kiss. His lips felt so soft and amazing pressed against hers. Now, all logic has gone out the window. At first, she felt that she couldn't have feelings for him. He was a monster. He did unspeakable things to innocent people, but now, she felt like she didn't care. He was all she had. He broke away from the kiss, looking her in the eyes once again, his head still pressed to hers. She gave in.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her and she let he lips crash with his, almost desperately. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he hoisted her so the she was higher than him, making her look down and him look up. He began to walk back to shore, his lips never leaving hers. He laid her down on the beach and they kissed for a moment, but then he got up, adjusting his shirt and fixing his mohawk. Promise sat herself up, somewhat disappointed.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have a shit load to do, hermana. I will walk you back to camp, but then I got to go do some things." They walked back in silence, still soaking wet. Everyone was awake now, preparing for the day ahead of them. They both got strange looks when they arrived back and entered their shack absolutely drenched. Promise went and sat on the bed as she watched Vaas change into dry clothes and prepare his guns.

"Do you need any help today?" she offered.

"I don't think so, Promise," he responded. "After what happened yesterday, I think you need a break."

"What about you? You had your arm dislocated."

"I'm fine, hermana. It feels better. Besides," he walked over and took her face in his hands. "You are going to give me the break I need when I get back." He smiled mischievously and walked towards the door. "Stay out of trouble, okay?" With that, he was gone.

After that, it was a long and boring day. She had no one to talk to, because everyone was working. She didn't feel like doing anything either, so she mostly just wandered around camp aimlessly. Once that got old, she decided to go back to her shack and try to make herself look presentable for when Vaas came back. That proved to be nearly impossible because she had no change of clothes that wasn't her uniform, any makeup, and no hair supplies. Finally, she decided to just lie around and be useless.

Soon after, the sky turned to pink and then purple, and just like the oncoming dusk, Vaas came back. Once Promise heard him screaming at his men, she fumbled out of her own clothes and pulled on one of Vaas' tops, which was practically like a short dress on her. After that, she tried to mess up her curly hair, as she looked in the mirror. She scowled, deciding that she looked ridiculous, but it was too late. She could hear him approaching the shack. She ran back to the small cot and sat down, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, even though her heart was racing and her tummy was flipping.

Vaas stormed in, a look of stress visible on his face. He didn't even notice her sitting there as he cursed under his breath and stripped himself of his equipment.

"Um… Hey." She was hesitant to greet him. She could tell that it has been a hard day for him. He whipped his line of vision over to her and his face immediately softened and he chuckled. He had to admit, she looked damn good in his shirt. She smiled sheepishly as she got up and slowly walked over to him, not sure of what to do. She wasn't the sexy type.

"I have to admit it," he said with a hungry look on his face. "You look a lot better in that then I do puta." She did a little twirl to show him. She felt confidence in knowing that he was looking her up and down and liking what he saw. "Alright, enough of this bullshit."

Before she could say a word, she was scooped up and thrown on the bed. She giggled as he plopped down on top of her and began to kiss her neck. He started to work his way from the jawline down. When he found her weak spot, he lingered there for a minute, biting into it. She moaned as she started to rip off his shirt. He disconnected from her neck, allowing the shirt fly off. He then ripped off the shirt she stole from him from her body, making her completely exposed. He stopped to admire her body as she fumbled with his belt and pants. Finally, everything was gone, including his underwear. He leaned down and nibbled her ear.

"Eres tan hermosa," he breathed. She whimpered. His Spanish drove her wild. Suddenly, his dominant side erupted, pinning her wrists above her head. She could barely move from under him. She cried out as she felt him thrust into her. She was surprised at his size. He began to roughly thrust in and out of her. She felt a hot sensation form in the pit of het tummy. She squirmed with pleasure, but still couldn't move. She couldn't help but moan loudly. It amused Vaas, making him go harder and faster. After just a little while of this, they both sensed that they were near. Finally, Vaas let go of her wrists as Promise hugged him tightly still moaning loudly. Finally, they both came at the same time, moaning and breathing loudly. Vaas collapsed next to her, trying to gain control of his breathing. Finally, they met each other's embrace.

"I love you, Promise." Those words shocked her. He didn't seem like the sentimental type.

"I love you too, Vaas." They lay in each other's embrace until they both drifted off into sleep.

**Wow! My first ever sex scene. That was weird! Go easy! Haha! Well, I got my laptop fixed, so you can now expect much more frequent updates from me! Review, follow, favorite, message, all that jazz! Thanks for your support!**


	14. Losing It

_She looked down at the man who was knocked out cold. He was a large man with no hair. He was battered and tied up in a chair, unable to move. She looked down at him with nothing but pure hatred and contempt. He has taken away the only thing that mattered to her, now she was going to take everything away from him. _

_She slapped him across the face hard, forcing him to wake up. _

_"Wake up, you piece of shit!" He awoke, his mouth sputtering with blood. She had him tied up in this abandoned, run down warehouse for a few hours. She went out of her way to make sure he was as miserable as possible. His beady eyes stared up at her, yet showed no fear at all. He was emotionless. She bent down in front of him._

_"I am going to ask you this one last time," she said, her teeth clenched and ready to bite. "Why did you do it?" She had been asking him the same question for hours, but he always refused to respond. _

_"Do what?" he asked condescendingly. _

_"Why did you…why did you take her from me?" She couldn't bring herself to say what he did. He evilly grinned at her. _

_"Oh, Shae. You'll never learn." She punched him hard in the face. She watched furiously as he spit blood and a battered tooth. _

_"TELL ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He laughed at her cracking voice. She was hurt and angry, and that was the energy he fed off of. _

_"You can hit me, you can torture me, you can even kill me, but that will not change anything. Nothing you do will bring your precious little girl back. I feel nothing, yet you have lost so much. I have won, and there is nothing you can do about it." She let the burning tears that were threatening to fall win. She felt built up rage and agony begin to surface. Everything he said was right. It is impossible to get revenge, especially if the person had absolutely no empathy or emotion._

_But that wasn't going to stop her. _

_With a swift movement of her hands and wrists, his neck was broken. She stared down at his battered corpse. For months, she has been planning for this outcome. She had killed and hurt so many just to get here, to get her revenge on everybody involved. The judge and the jury who came to the verdict of his innocence, the forensic scientist who failed to get the correct clues, and finally, the man behind it all. She felt as if she should be rejoicing, but she wasn't she only felt more pain. She dropped to her knees and screamed and cried to the sky, letting out every emotion she had. She let her body drop the floor and sob. She had no idea what to do next. _

Promise woke with a start, disoriented and confused. Her eyes tried to focus, tired and afraid. She noticed where she was. She screamed.

Vaas' eyes shot open to the sound of a blood-curdling scream. He shot up and rubbed his tired face, not sure what was going on. He looked over to his right as if to wake Promise. His heart began to race. She was gone.

Not even pulling on his shirt or boots, he shot out of the shack. He followed Promise's scream, surprised that the entire camp was not woken up as well. He finally reached the cages. Every captive was crying, scared for their lives. Ignoring them, he shot off to the last cage. There was Promise.

She sat next to the mangled corpse of a captive. She was still just in nothing but Vaas' shirt, but drenched in blood from neck to waist. She was staring at her shaky, bloody hands and sobbing. Her survival knife lay next to the corpse. Vaas was a little bit shocked, but not concerned or worried. He was completely desensitized to death. The only thing worried about was the woman he loved, completely in ruins, sitting next to the body. She looked up at him with red rimmed eyes.

"What is happening to me?" she whispered, scared out of her mind. Vaas walked into the cage and helped her up, not caring about the blood she was getting on him. He hugged her close and tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. Instead, she just uncontrollably sobbed into his chest.

"Come on, we gotta get you cleaned up, okay?" She didn't respond. Instead, she just continued to weep. He ignored the crime scene and dragged her to the group showers. She staggered with him, still hugging onto him. Once they finally arrived, he stood her in the shower and turned it on. The frigid cold liquid made her jump a little, but it felt relaxing. Her sobbing seized, instead, she was just sniveling. Vaas watched as the blood blended with the water and turn pink. He wasn't sure what to say or do.

After a few minutes of this, he finally turned off the water and slowly guided her out of the shower. She and his shirt that she was wearing were soaked, but no longer with blood. His shirt was a bit stained, but he didn't care. He only worried about her. They began to walk back to their hut. He shortly debated to ask what happened, but didn't want to freak her out more.

"I sleep walk." Vaas looked at her curiously, still hugging her closely to his side. "I have these dreams…I can't remember…" She squinted and rubbed her eyes. "Why the fuck can't I remember?" He hugged her tighter.

"You are strong. We can get through this _together_, I promise." They finally entered the hut again. He sat her on the bed and turned back to the door. "From now on, if you are tired, if you think that you could sleep, you lock the door. Okay?" She nodded her head halfheartedly. Vaas walked over and handed her another one of his tank tops. Even though he has seen her naked just hours ago, he turned his back to her, purely out of courtesy.

"You don't have to turn, you know." Her voice was so gentle, almost like a whisper.

"Just trying to be polite." She smiled as he turned back around. "It is still pretty early. We don't have to be up for a few hours or so." He climbed into bed and hugged her to his chest tightly. She dug her face into it, taking in his scent. She felt his heart beat and listened to his gentle breathing. He calmed her down so much. She felt safe when she was in his arms. Not just safe from the world or the island, but safe from herself.

"I think we should go see Doctor Earnhardt in the morning." She looked up at him, barely able to move under his grasp.

"Who is that?"

"He is a skilled doctor on our island. He is very good with drugs and prescriptions too. Maybe he could help you." She nodded her head as if you say yes and buried her face back into his chest. "You know I won't let anything bad happen to you, right?" She sighed and nodded her head. She felt like that was all she needed.

"I love you," she whispered into his chest.

"I love you too, hermana." With that, they both fell back into a deep sleep in each other's embrace.


	15. It All Came Back

Promise played with the switchblade in her hand, trying her best to ignore the bumps and jostling that they car ride threw her way. She looked over at Vaas who was driving. She tried her best to convince him that she should come alone, that he had a lot of work to do, but he refused to let her go alone or send one of his men with her.

She looked forward at the winding road that lied before them. It looked like a bumpy, steep hill to ride up, but she was prepared. She put her switch blade away as they started to ride up the bumpy trail. After what felt like forever of this, they finally reached a disheveled, run down house at the top of the mountain. They got out of the jeep at the same time, not saying a word to each other. They both had far too much on their minds.

She watched as Vaas knocked on the door. A tall, skinny older man opened it. He looked as if he has never slept more than eight hours of his entire night and he clearly was hooked on many different types of drugs. He seemed to freeze when he saw Vaas standing on his front porch.

"Vaas!" he said gruffly, almost as if he was defending himself. "What are you doing here? Do you need more-"

"No, not today hermano. We need your help." Vaas almost despised that he lived on the island. He wouldn't be keeping him here if he didn't supply such excellent drugs and medical assistance.

"What can I do for you today?" Vaas looked over at Promise, almost as if he was telling her to speak.

"Um," she started hesitantly. "I have some…issues." Earnhardt looked at her deeply before inviting them in and offering them a seat. He then took one of his own.

"So, my dear," he began. "Tell me about your 'issues.'" She sighed before beginning to tell her long, complex story.

"Well, I washed up on the beach with no memory before I joined Vaas and his men. Lately, I have been having some issues in my sleep."

"Like what?"

"Well, I have vivid dreams about my past, but I can barely remember them when I wake up. I only remember one thing from them. But that's not all. I have been sleep walking too."

"Tell him about last night." She shot Vaas an angry look. She frankly didn't want to tell him, let alone anyone.

"I…killed a person in my sleep." Doctor Earnhardt stared at her with a neutral face. He looked at her, trying to calculate the answer to her problems in his head. Finally, he rubbed his face and sat back in his chair.

"I am not a psychologist, my darling. I can't help you with that kind of thing." He walked into a kitchen with a lot of cupboards, but chose one that appeared to have a lot of prescription bottles in it. He picked one up and walked back into the room. "I can, however, give you something strong to keep you in a deeper sleep." He handed her a pill bottle before sitting back down. "Take one of those before you go to bed every night. Use caution, though. They are very strong." She looked down at the pill bottle that rolled around in her hands.

"Thanks so much, Doctor."

"Now, if there is anything-"

"Can you bring my memory back?" She looked up at him hopefully. She didn't want her memory back at first. The past was the past. What she wanted to focus on was he future on the island. But ever since the night before, she wanted, no she _needed_ to know what happened. There was a part of her that felt that if she knew, maybe things would go back to normal. Doctor Earnhardt looked around, trying to decide what to do. He shook his head in defeat and walked out of the house. She and Vaas sat there in awkward silence for what felt like forever. Finally, he returned with a single pill and glass of water in his hands.

"This drug is illegal in many places for its effects. It is supposed to bring back memories if your head has suffered major physical trauma. I do not condone the use of it, but if you really feel strongly about it, you may take it, but don't say that I did not warn you." She hesitantly took the pill and water from the man and swallowed them both. They thanked him and headed out.

Vaas and Promise joked the whole way back. They felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of their shoulders.

"All I am saying is that a tiger could fucking tear you to shreds, Vaas."

"Are you fucking kidding me? I could take one of those bitches down with nothing but these sexy mother fuckers." He flexed one of his arms to show off his impressive biceps.

"I highly doubt that."

"Really? Want to make a bet, puta?"

"Fuck no! I refuse to clean up that mess." All of a sudden, Promise felt as if she were shot in the head by a sniper. She screamed out as she palmed her forehead.

"Vaas! Fucking pull over!"

Vaas cursed as he roughly pulled the car over. He threw his door open and ran to her side of the car, nearly ripping the door off of its hinges. He helped her out. Everything was blacking out. All of a sudden, _bam!_ She saw her memories flooding back to her, almost like short, loud pops in front of her eyes. With each bang, she saw a lost memory. Visions of her early childhood, then her school years, then he first kiss, graduation, the tragic death of her parent, jobs, all of them began flooding back to her. Finally, the memories she needed to see flashed before her eyes.

Anger, terror, agony, sorrow, loss…that was what her past three years were. She saw a little nameless orphan that she grew to love. She saw happiness and a filled emptiness that this little girl brought her. She saw a school playground missing one of its most joyful playmates. She saw a guilty man set free of all charges. She saw the deaths of a judge, forensic scientist, jury members, and the death of the man behind it all. She saw a SWAT team, guns blazing to take her into custody. She saw a boat taking her away from the horrors of home. Finally, she saw a ship wreck leading her to where she is now.

Once all of her memories returned to her, she collapsed to her knees, clutching her head. Vaas bent down to try and console her.

"Promise, do you-"

"My name is not Promise," she said quietly. "My name is Shae."


	16. Things Finally Perk Up

Citra sat in in her temple, angry and tired. Vaas and his men were growing stronger, and there was nothing she could do about it. It had been a while since their attempt at battle failed. She had a lot of time to think, to plan. She was going to bring the pirates to their knees, even if it took everything from her people…even her life. She stood up from her chair and began to pace. How did they pull it off? She sent almost every single one of her best warriors to their camp, yet they still failed. Something had changed in the camp, she just didn't know what.

"Citra," she turned around to see one of her finest warriors running towards her. "We have word from one of the pirates that we paid to give us information."

"Tell me, warrior." He handed her a battered picture of a girl.

"She's a new recruit. She is skilled in combat. She is incredibly dangerous, not because of her amazing skills, but because Vaas is also in love with her." Citra let a diabolic grin spread across her face.

"Dismissed." The warrior did a small bow and marched out of her temple. She sat down and examined the picture for a minute.

_Vaas is in love, _she thought to herself, mockingly. It wasn't the pirates that were getting stronger, it was Vaas. Before she could regain control of her island, she just had to take away her enemy's strength.

She had to kill this girl.

It has been a little over a week since Shae regained her memory. Things were a lot different with her and her new lifestyle.

She refused to be called Promise now. It didn't feel right after what happened. She took her real name back. The past had chewed her up and spit her out, but she almost felt a sense of closer by knowing about her past. She kept the memory of Promise in her heart and mind, but moved on. At first, it was hard. She felt as if a hole had been ripped open in her chest, but she couldn't find happiness if she didn't let go.

Her sleep walking problems went away. She finally could peacefully sleep. No nightmares. No sleep walking. Just deep sleeps in the arms of the man she loved. She closed her eyes for a minute to think about it. _Vaas Montenegro._ She was in love with a murderous psychopath. She looked over to that man who was sitting next to her on the log. He looked deeply into the fire for a moment, then turned to her too. They exchanged awkward smiles, then returned back to the bon fire.

Every Friday night, her, Vaas and some of his men had a bon fire. They usually would get drunk off of their asses or as high as the clouds, or sometimes they would just sit and talk and joke. It was the highlight of their week. Tonight was a bit quieter. Everybody was exhausted. It was a hard week. Citra and her men were lashing out more and more, but they would always lose. They do not have the same fire power that Vaas and his men had. They did not have Shae.

Shae listened peacefully to the men's raucous laughter as they joked, drank and smoked.

"So, did anyone have a girl back home?" Everyone turned to the asker of the question, Connor. "I had a girl. She was the most beautiful woman who ever lived. But, life always gets in the way of what we love most, doesn't it?" Everyone nodded in agreement with Connor.

"I had a girl," Rodriguez piped in. "She wasn't much eye candy, but she was a hell of a good cook." Everyone chuckled at his comment.

"I had a girl back home." Everyone fell silent and turned to Shae. "But not that kind of girl." Everyone released the tension that comment brought. "She was the sweetest little thing. But, Connor is right. Life does usually get in the way of the things we love." She looked up from the fire. "But that is the past," she continued as she put her arms around Vaas and the other man sitting next to her. "You guys are my home now, and I couldn't ask for anything more." Connor raised his bottle of scotch.

"I'll drink to that." Everyone agreed as they took a swig of their drink.

The night slowly pressed on, bringing more jokes and conversations. Finally, everyone began to feel tired and headed off to bed. Vaas and Shae said their goodnights and began to walk back to their hut shoulder to shoulder. They walked in silence until Vaas finally put his arm around her shoulder and began to speak.

"You know what you said earlier back at the fire, hermana?" She looked into his green eyes.

"What did I say?"

"That life keeps you away from the things you love."

"Oh…yeah."

"It isn't true." She looked at him with a curious expression on her face. "Life hasn't kept me from you." She closed her eyes as she smiled and pecked him on the lips. She hoped that he didn't jinx it. She looked down to a watch that she had situated on the inside of her wrist and groaned.

"It's 2:30! I hope you weren't planning on waking up early tomorrow." Vaas laughed.

"Sleeping in sounds so good right now, but I can't. You know how work is. I need a vacation." It was Shae's turn to laugh.

"Don't we all?" Vaas nodded his head. They finally reached their small shack and entered it reluctantly. Shae shuffled over to the bed and watched Vaas strip himself of his shirt. He really did have a great body. Shae forced that thought out of her head and looked down at her lap, smiling to herself. Vaas looked over at her and chuckled a little bit.

"What?" Shae did her best to look innocent and naïve.

"Oh, nothing." Vaas walked over to her, still shirtless.

"No really, what?" He was smiling smugly. Shae looked up to him playfully.

"You know what." Vaas walked over to his side of the bed, if you could even call it that. It was a small, one person cot. It was nearly impossible for them to both share it. They were practically on top of each other in their sleep, but neither of them really cared.

"One of these days, hermana," he began. "We're going to get a bigger bed." He climbed on top of it and began to settle in as Shae began to strip herself of her boots and pants. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"You keep telling yourself that, Vaas." It was nearly impossible for them to get any sort of supplies besides ammo on the island. It was all that was provided practically. Shae climbed into bed with nothing but her underwear and tank top. As soon as she got situated, Vaas hugged her close to his body. She felt his gentle breathing on her neck. The night was silent except for the sound of his breath and the faint melody of cricket chirps. It was almost therapeutic. Finally, she began to drift into sleep.

While Shae was knocked out cold, Vaas was still awake. He had a lot on his mind, mainly her. He was confused about what he was feeling. He always told himself that he would never be tied down to a girl, especially since he was in his line of work. He hated that she was somewhat changing him. He was not angry or murderous when he was around her. He was like he was before…before what happened in his past. He pulled her closer. It would be so easy. He could just end all of his confusion right now. A simple flick of the wrists or a quick squeeze to her throat. That was all it took to end everything. Ashamed, he pushed that thought out of his head. He could never hurt her. He loved her too much to ever hurt her, let alone kill her. Vaas let out a long sigh and buried his nose into her hair. He didn't know what he would do without her. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. He would do anything to protect her, no matter what it was.


	17. All Good Things Must Come to an End

_Bam! Bam Bam!_

Vaas and Shae woke up with a start. Disoriented and alarmed, Shae looked down at her wrist watch. It was 4:30 in the morning.

"Where those gun shots?" she asked quietly. She looked over to Vaas who was scrambling to put his shirt and boots on.

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed as he was getting ready. Shae scrambled to get her pants and boots on as well.

"What do we-"Vaas cut her off.

"No! You're staying here." She felt anger bubble in the pit of her stomach.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Vaas? I am not a child, don't treat me like one!"

"Shae, I said no!"

"You've seen me in combat situations; you know that I can take care of myself!"

"GOD DAMN IT, I SAID NO!" Shae stepped back in shock, hurt clearly plastered on her face. Vaas sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Look, if it is who I think is out there, they will stop at nothing until they are sure that they have taken everything from me, including the person I value most. I can't risk losing you. Not like this." Shae still stood there in silence. Vaas slowly walked over to her and pecked her forehead before jogging out, loaded with guns and ammo. Shae was left behind, still in a little bit of shock.

Vaas ran towards the entrance of his camp, his men following him. There were only a couple gun shots, so it could not have been an ambush. They would have charged in all ready. Finally, they approached the entrance, guns pointed to the group of people in front of him.

It was a woman with the sides on her head shaven, wearing an outfit that showed off her skin and tribal tattoos. On both sides of her were two soldiers fashioned with similar tribal tattoos and guns pointed towards the pirates. On the ground in front of them was Rodriguez, with a bullet sent through his chest. He was coughing and spitting blood. He couldn't be saved. Vaas wanted to shoot her right then and there, but he knew it would be a death wish. Without moving the gun away from his face, he initiated conversation.

"Citra, what the fuck are you doing here?" She smiled smugly.

"I think you know why we are here, Vaas."

"Well, I suggest you FUCKING LEAVE…before I put a bullet through you and your men's skulls."

"Vaas, we do not come here to begin a battle with you and your men. We shall leave, but first, we need the girl." Wow, was she that stupid? Did she really think that he would give her to him that easily? No, she had to have been toying with him. He debated what to do in his head.

"What girl?" Citra laughed smugly.

"Don't play dumb with me, Vaas. You know who I mean, and we will not stop until we get her."

"If you even THINK of touching her-"

"We will be back in the morning with a hundred times the men you see here. If you hand her over peacefully, we will go back to our town as if nothing ever happened. If you refuse…well…let's just say that's something you wouldn't want to do." Without another word, her and her two men turned around and left. Everyone just stood there speechless and conflicted.

"Get a fucking jeep ready," Vaas commanded without taking his eyes off of where they were standing. Everyone still just stood there. "ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF, MOTHER FUCKERS?! I SAID GET A FUCKING JEEP READY!" Everyone scrambled towards the jeeps.

Shae just sat on their cot, her head going a thousand miles an hour. _Who is out there? Why was Vaas so worried? Is Vaas safe? Am I safe?_ She swallowed a large lump that grew in her throat. It had been silent. There was no gun shots, no screams from Vaas. It was too quiet for her to sit in her own skin comfortably. Finally, the door barged open, and a very angry Vaas stepped in. She hastily stood up as he began to scream and throw stuff around. She has never seen him so angry while she was around him. Finally he froze, staring at the ground with his back towards Shae. She slowly approached him and put a hand on his muscular shoulder gently.

"Vaas? Are you okay?" He didn't do anything. After a moment, he turned around and hugged her tightly, whispering into her ear.

"You know that I love you more than anything, right?" Her face twisted with concern as she nodded her head yes. He hesitantly broke away from her embrace and rushed over to where her things were stored. Her heart began to race once she noticed that he was gathering bunch of her stuff up.

"Vaas, what is going on?"

"There isn't time to explain," he replied, his voice beginning to crack. "You're going to stay with Doctor Earnhardt for a few days, okay?" Before she could protest, Vaas took her hand and led her out to a jeep, with her things in the other. They got in in unison. Vaas put the stuff on her lap and he sped up. Shae looked back to see a machine gunner on the back. That was strange, Vaas rarely had one on the back if she was riding with him. She looked over at Vaas' stress riddled face.

"Now can you tell me what is going on?" she managed to choke out. Vaas' head dropped as he sighed.

"Remember my sister that I told you about?" She didn't respond. "She is bringing the entire Rakyat tribe with her first thing in the morning and she is going to come for you." Shae's lips gently parted and her eyes widened.

"Wh-why does she want me?" Vaas looked over to her, his face visibly in emotional pain. It scared the hell out of Shae to see Vaas feeling negative emotion like this. He usually just pushed it down inside. He was letting it surface, and that is how she knew that it was a very serious situation.

"I will do everything in my power to stop her. I refuse to lose you, Shae. You are all I have." She looked at him shocked and then back down to the stuff in her lap.

"You are going to risk your life, your men, everything you have…for me?" Vaas didn't say anything. "Just hand me over to her." Vaas looked over at her, furious.

"No! Why the fuck would I do that?! This is not your fight!"

"Hundreds of lives for one is not even reasonable, Vaas!"

"No Shae, God damn it! It is absolutely out of the question! We will figure things out! End of discussion!" They were silent as their jeep endured a familiar bumpy road. Finally, they approached a rundown house that was home to Doctor Earnhardt.

"Does he know that we're here?" she asked as they exited the car.

"No, but he is about to find out." They climbed the porch and Vaas banged on the door, hard. Shae stood there frozen, holding her things in her arms. After a few unbearable moments, Doctor Earnhardt finally answered the door, wearing a robe, pajama pants, and slippers. A tired look of surprise shot across his face.

"Vaas? Promise? What are you doing here this hour?" Shae looked down, wanting to correct him about her name but refraining from it.

"Sorry, we had a bit on an emergency, hermano. She really needs a place to stay while I get some things…sorted out. Can she stay with you?" Doctor Earnhardt looked all around, trying to think of something to say. Vaas motioned for her to go out in the gazebo. She could tell that he meant business, and when he meant business, he always got what he wanted. She shuffled over to the gazebo, hearing Vaas whip out his pistol. Once she got there, she set he stuff down on a chair and walked over to the railing. She lost herself into the view of the island. The island really was beautiful. It looked so pretty and peaceful; it was almost hard to believe that it harbored so much danger and lunatics.

She let her head droop. For the first time in a while, she felt scared. Not for just her, but for Vaas and his men. If something ever happened to them, she would never be able to forgive herself. All of this was happening because of her. After what felt like an eternity, she finally heard crunching footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Vaas approaching her, head down and fists clenched.

"Doctor Earnhardt and I came to a…agreement. You will be staying with him for a while." Shae did not respond. She just stared down at her boots. "They won't expect to find you here. For all I know, they don't even know this place exists." She nodded her head and look up at Vaas. He could see the tears rimming her eyes. It killed him to see her like this. He pulled her in and hugged her tightly as she began to cry.

"Why are you crying?" he said, trying to comfort and console her. "Don't cry, Hermosa." She looked up and into his deep green eyes.

"I am afraid of losing you, Vaas. You are all I have." He moved his hands from her body to her face and pressed his forehead against hers. She took in his scent while he struggled to hold back tears of his own.

"Everything is going to be okay. Tomorrow, we are going to kick some native ass, and then you can come home as if nothing had ever happened." She nodded her head halfheartedly. They both knew that he was hiding the painful reality with blissful fantasies. "I love you so much. Don't you _dare_ forget that." He kissed her forehead and then broke away from her embrace. Before he could get far, she forcefully grabbed onto his wrist.

"Wait!" He looked back at her, his body still positioned to leave. "Can't you just stay for a few more minutes?" He looked at her deeply. He could tell that she was in absolute emotional agony. He sighed as he walked back towards her. They enveloped back into each other's embrace, looking off silently into the beautiful horizon that the island provided. For a few minutes, they stood together closely in each other's tight embrace, occasionally breaking away for a kiss. Neither one of them wanted this moment to ever end. Finally, Vaas released his grip on her. He sighed as he began to unclasp one of his necklaces. It was identical to his green one, only this one was a deep red. He hooked it around her neck.

"Keep this. Think of it as a piece of me." He grabbed her hand and led her back to the house slowly. He walked her in, said his goodbyes to them both, and then he left. Shae walked over to the window and watched him leave in his jeep. She let her head fall against the window and the tears flow freely. She had no idea what to do.


	18. Similar Pasts

Tired and shaken, Shae leaned against the window as she looked into the distance absentmindedly. She only broke her gaze away from the scenery every few minutes to check her wrist watch. It felt as if she had been at Doctor Earnhardt's house for years, but it has only been a little over three hours. Time was her enemy. She lightly banged her head against the window as if to knock the painful thoughts out of her head. It killed her to know that Vaas was probably fighting off Citra's men at that very moment, all because of her.

"You should really come away from the window, darling. Standing there worrying all day could be a hazard to your mental health." She turned to see Doctor Earnhardt standing behind her, holding a tray that contained a tea pot and two tea cups. "Besides, I made us some morning tea." She turned to face him and gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you, Doctor." He put down the tray on the coffee table and waved his hand dismissively.

"Please, call me Alec. If we are going to be living together for a reasonable amount of time, we might as well be friendly." Shae sighed as she walked over to the couch.

"Okay, _Alec._" It felt weird to call him something other than Doctor Earnhardt. She began to wonder if he was being so compassionate because he truly cared or because Vaas put a gun to his head.

"So tell me Promise, have my treatments helped you?" They sat down on the sofa in unison.

"Actually, it is Shae. I learnt my name when I got my memory back. I sleep peacefully and I have my memory fully restored. Thank you…Alec." He smiled as he poured the tea.

"You are very welcome. I am glad that I could help." They sat in momentary silence as they both sipped on their tea.

"I infused this tea with an old recipe of mine. It is chamomile with a little something a extra to calm the nerves."

"Good. I am going to need all the nerve calming I can get." He responded with an awkward chuckle.

"We all need a little bit of nerve calming here and there, don't we?" She nodded in agreement and looked down at her boots timidly. Doctor Earnhardt scrambled for something to say to lure her mind away from the problems at hand.

"Well, how about I give you a little tour of my property?" Shae smiled and nodded as she put her tea cup down on the tray and followed him out of the house. First, he showed her the greenhouse where all of his work was done. Then, he pointed out his favorite places to get ingredients for his mixes. Finally, they re-entered the house. He took her upstairs to a room covered in pink and things that only a little girl could love.

"What's all this?" she asked curiously. He looked down at a wooden rocking horse and stroked its yarn mane.

"It's my daughter, Agnes' room." Sorrow filled his eyes as he looked around the room. Shae sighed and took a few steps towards the disheveled doctor.

"You know, I know what it is like to lose a little one in your life." Alec looked up at her, his eyes rimmed with tears. "It is hard…damned near impossible to deal with," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "But, you will get through it." He gave her a weak smile. She let her arm fall away from his shoulder. "Now, shall he go finish that soothing tea you made us?" His smile widened a bit.

"Yes, that sounds delightful." They both put of a happy, but equally fake face as they trotted down the stairs.


	19. A New Addition to the Household

Shae had been staying with Doctor Alec Earnhardt for what felt like an eternity, but he and his places was beginning to grow on her. She loved his quirky personality and how caring he was for her. The property she was on was also a plus. There were plenty of supplies within a mile of every which direction and it was not far from town, but Shae couldn't go there. It was risky to set foot in a Rakyat town like that. Usually, Doctor Earnhardt, or Alec as he insisted he be called, would go down there for supplies alone. Other times, when he needed to gather herbs or plants that were scattered on the island; he would bring her a long for extra help. Once their work was finished and night had approached, they would sit together outside in the gazebo with a cup of tea and watch the stars. Staying with Doctor Earnhardt was very relaxing and care free.

Except for the fact that every free moment that she had, she was worried about Vaas.

Since the night that he said goodbye, she hasn't heard from him. Some days she sat in front of the radio and waited for the call that told her the he was safe, but there never would be a call. Instead, there would be nothing but static on the channel the camp's radio was on. Alec always found a way to get her away from the radio. He didn't want her to stress. He always had tea ready or a favor for her to do every time he noticed her stressing. For that, she was somewhat grateful. Without him, she would be an emotional wreck.

"Shae, quickly! I need your help!" Shae looked up from one of the many books that the doctor provided and over to the front door. There was Doctor Earnhardt, standing there with a young woman in his arms. She had short blonde hair pulled back into a small pony tail, her clothes were dirty, and she looked incredibly sick. Shae's eyes widened in horror as she hurried over to help the doctor carry her upstairs to Agnes' room.

"What happened to her, Alec?" she asked as she watched her lightly stir in her sleep.

"I found her lying in the woods, unconscious. She had a nasty cut with an awful infection in it. I fear the worst. Quickly go grab my first aid kit, will you?" Shae hastily went down the stairs and rummaged through some cupboards until she found it. She sprinted up the stairs and back to the pink room where they both resided. The doctor took it from her and began his work.

"Who is she?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know, my dear."

"Could she have escaped from Vaas' compound?" Doctor Earnhardt froze and then looked back up at her.

"It is a strong possibility." To Shae, this meant one of two things. All hell has broken lose down at the compound, giving captives the chance to escape, or Vaas was fine and his operations have gone back to normal. With these things in mind, Shae sprinted down the stairs down to the radio. A static voice was calling the doctor's name. Shae froze as she picked up the microphone.

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

"Shae?" Shae let out a long sigh of relief when she heard that voice.

"Vaas, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me Hermosa. I can't talk for very long though." Her relief turned into a little bit of playful anger.

"You bastard! Why the fuck didn't you call me sooner?!" He chuckled a little bit.

"Because I didn't want to risk them hearing us. We were able to hold them off," Shae sighed in relief when she heard that. "We had a few casualties, but nothing we can't handle. There has been a little…problem though."

"Problem? Is everything okay?"

"Relax hermana. We have everything under control. We just have a runaway that has been giving us grief that is all." Shae thought back to the girl that Doctor Earnhardt found. She couldn't betray his trust. Not after all that he has done for her. Besides, one escaped captive wouldn't hurt. She probably wouldn't survive the night anyways.

"I hope that you get it sorted out."

"Yeah, me too. I have to go, senorita. I love you though, okay?"

"Okay, I love you too. Be safe." Without another word, he was gone. She sighed and then walked back upstairs to find Alec still working on his patient.

"Vaas called." He looked over at Shae, somewhat shocked and then back to his patient. "Don't worry. She is safe to stay." A look of relief washed across his face.

"Well, what about him? Is everything okay back at the camp?"

"Everything is fine. Just a few casualties, nothing that they can't handle."

"Well I am glad to hear that. I bet that you are anxious to see him again."

"Yes, very much so. Is she okay?"

"Well, that infection has taken a very bad toll on her health. With some medicine and the right medical treatment, I am sure that she will be fine." Shae nodded her head and went back downstairs. She debated whether or not it would be a good idea to go back to the camp, but decided against it. There is still a high chance that she and Vaas are in danger. Instead, she made plans for tomorrow.


	20. Coming Home, Whether He Likes It or Not

"Come in, base. Hello? Anyone there?"

No answer.

"Come in, base. Shae to base, over."

No answer. Shae sighed as she leaned back into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. She hasn't talked to anyone from camp. It had been a few days since she had talked to Vaas. Things were getting extremely weird.

After a while, Doctor Earnhardt had stopped giving her favors to do. He was acting really weird around her, as if he were keeping a secret. She tried to talk to him, but he would always shy away or ignore her. Their conversation was really limited, so limited that she couldn't even say that they have had a real conversation in ages. That girl that they took in disappeared. She knew that Alec took her away somewhere, but she had no idea where to even look. Being cooped up in Alec's house all day with nothing to do or no one to talk to was driving her crazy.

She sighed as she looked out the window. It was almost one in the morning. That is when she would make her move. She grabbed her back pack full of everything and began to write Doctor Earnhardt a short note addressing her disappearance.

_Alec,_

_I am terribly sorry for leaving your house like this. It is impolite and rude, I know, but if I asked you to leave you would not let me. I promise that no harm will come your way. Thank you so much for your hospitality. I will see you soon._

_-Shae_

She sighed and put next to his morning medications where she knew he would find it. With that, she quietly crept out of the house with no plan whatsoever.

Shae loved the night. Something about the peace and the darkness comforted her. The cool island air mixed with the gentle cricket noises soothed her. She played with the necklace Vaas gave her as she tried to think of a plan of attack. It would be a short ride back to camp, but driving a car could be a dead giveaway to any natives patrolling out there. She really did not want to risk being shot. She began to walk down the rocky road, still trying to think of a plan. There should be a short cut through the jungle back to camp. In there, she most likely wouldn't have to worry about any attackers, but there was always the risk of nocturnal predators. She loved the night with al her heart, but tonight the darkness was her enemy.

After a long few moments of debating, she finally talked herself in to going into the jungle. She let herself slowly slide down a steep hill, trying to not get caught on any stray branches or trip over a rock. Once she finally reached the bottom, she put the scope of her hunting rifle to her eye and started to patrol, making sure that there was no one around.

"Shit," she whispered to herself. There were two cars full of natives. They had stopped driving for a drink and a smoke.

"Okay," she whispered to herself. "There are… one, two, three…eight natives, each one with a semi-automatic rifle, drunk, and off their guard. Just distract them away from you and walk behind them. Okay Shae, you got this."

Taking a deep breath and then holding it, she picked up a rock and threw it away from her direction. Each one picked up their rifle and began to go investigate. Seeing her opportunity, she took off from behind them, being as quiet and staying as low as she can. Once she got to the other side of the road, she finally let herself exhale.

"Over there! It's her!" She closed her eyes and started to load her gun.

"So much for an easy escape," she said aloud as she dodged the bullets that were aimed at her. She couldn't bolt. She would lead them right to camp. She picked up her gun and started shooting them one by one, almost getting shot multiple times. Without even noticing, she hit the gas tank to one of the cars, making both explode.

"HOLY FUCK!" There were only two left. Feeling satisfied, she pulled out a throwing knife and knifed the first one in the back. The other one began to run away. She began to chase after him a bit. She couldn't let him get to the village and give away her position. With skilled reflexes, she unloaded a bullet into the back of his head. She put her gun back on safety as she looked around at the mess she created. She couldn't help but smile a little bit. She did a good job at taking them down. Sighing, she disappeared back into the forest to get back to base camp.

The sun slowly rose as she entered the camp. It had been a long day of walking and she was exhausted and in pain. She could feel the bottom of her feet blistering and bruises form on her shins and other parts of her body. She took a look around at camp. It seemed so empty at this time of the day. Everyone was still peacefully sleeping. She took a deep breath as she began to walk back to her hut. She closed her eyes at the thought of it. She missed this place so much. The camp wasn't what she missed the most, though.

She walked in, seeing Vaas nestled alone is their tiny once person cot. She was so happy to see that he was okay. She walked over to her usual side, pushed his over slightly, and got in with him. She watched as his eyes slowly flickered open. He gave a disoriented, confused look when he saw who lied next to him.

"Shae?" She smiled and nodded. He gave her a peck on the lips followed by a tight, desperate hug. They sat in each other's embrace for a few moments until he finally pushed her away.

"What the fuck are you doing here, hermana?! I told you to not come back under any circumstances!"

"I had to come back, Vaas. Doctor Earnhardt was acting really strange and I couldn't stand not hearing from you." He sighed as he sat up. "What's wrong?" His facial expression was so strange. It was filled with pain. She slowly recognized it to be the same look he gave her when he had to say goodbye at Earnhardt's house. He finally forced out a smile as she finally decided to sit up next to him. She grabbed his strong hand.

"Nothing, Hermosa. I am really glad you are back, but I think that you need to go back to Earn-"

"No! I can't go back!" He sighed. She could tell he was not in the mood to put up a fight.

"Okay, you can stay. I have the day off, anyways. We have a party tonight as well." She smiled and nodded, still somewhat concerned.

"For what?"

"We are celebrating a death." She looked at him, puzzled.

"Death?"

"Si. Remember when I told you about the escaped asshole who started fucking everything up? We tagged him."

"Good job."

"Yeah…" She sighed as she looked at him.

"Well," she said as she climbed on to his lap, put her arms around his neck, and brushed her lips against his. "What should we do in the mean time?" He kissed her and threw her back down onto her back.

"Everything."

* * *

**Well ladies and gentlemen, as you can probably see, our fun little story will soon end. I am proud to announce that this stor has reached (as of right this second) an earth-shattering 2,459 views! I never expected it to take off the way it did! Thanks so much for your support, everyone! Please follow, favorite, review, all that jazz. If you for me, do it for our dear Vaas. Thanks!**


	21. Alone With Nothing But Painful Memories

Vaas and Shae walked into the party.

"Can I get you a drink, chiquita?" She smiled, remembering the last time he asked her that. It was her first night on the island as an official pirate for Vaas.

"No," she replied teasingly, wondering if he would say the same thing.

"Vodka it is!" he exclaimed as he started walking away. She walked over to the giant bon fire where all the pirates were dancing. One stood on a log with a drink in his hand.

"TO THE DEATH OF THAT MOTHER FUCKER SNOW WHITE!" He poured his drink into the fire, making it rise higher and hiss louder. Everyone cheered. Shae laughed. This "Snow White" person must have really given them hell.

"Hey hermana." He handed her a red solo cup filled to the brim with alcohol as he pulled her in close for a kiss. When she pulled away, she saw that same devastated look.

"I have to go back to the warehouse for a few minutes. I just have a few things I forgot there that I need to pick up."

"I will come with-"

"No!" She looked at him surprised. He closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against hers. "I will just be a few minutes, okay?" He gave her a long, focused kiss. "Stay out of trouble, chicka. I love you with all my heart." She gave him a confused look. Why was he acting so sentimental?

"I love you too. Be quick." He gave her one last short peck to the lips and jogged off. She took a sip of her drink, a little bit worried about Vaas. She finally just dismissed it as him missing her or so long then went back to the party.

"Hey Connor!" she shouted over the loud music to Connor.

"Hey Cupcake!"

"This is a huge party! This guy must have really gotten on your guys' nerves!"

"You have no fucking idea, Shae! He was impossible to tag!"

"HOLY FUCK!" They both turned to see a man shooting someone behind them.

"GET DOWN!" Connor screamed as he pushed Shae's head down along with his.

"WHO THE FUCK IS THAT?!" she screamed to Connor.

"THAT'S FUCKING SNOW WHITE! THAT'S JASON-" Before she he could finish, a huge explosion took them both by surprise.

Shae woke, coughing up large amounts of blood. Her eyes blurry and her hearing not all there, she looked around the entire camp. It was practically deserted except for the tens of bodies sprawled on the ground. She looked next to her.

"Connor?" She shook him furiously, trying to wake him up. He wouldn't. "Connor, don't you fucking do this to me." She reached to his throat and tried to find a pulse. Nothing.

Trying to steady herself, she got up, trying not to let Connor's death bother her. There _had_ to have been a few survivors. One man couldn't have taken down hordes of pirates…right?

"Shae!" She turned around to see a man running towards her. It was another pirate.

"What the fuck happened?" she asked him, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

"We were ambushed by Jason Brody."

"Snow White, the one you thought you tagged?"

"Yes," he replied as she wiped blood away from her lip. "He is involved with the Rakyat, and-"

"Have you seen Vaas?"

"No. Nobody has." Without saying another word, she charged towards the warehouse.

_This can't be happening,_ she said to herself over and over again. _This can't FUCKING be happening!_ She barged into the dark and dank warehouse. She froze in her steps as she finally entered. It was so quiet. She didn't even dare breathe.

"Vaas?"

No answer.

"Vaas? Are you in here?"

No answer. Gathering her wits, she walked in, searching for him as she yelled out her name. Finally, she found a light switch and flipped in on. She squinted at the bright lights and finally let her vision adjust to look around. He eyes fell to something in the middle of the floor. She slowly walked over to it, realizing that it was a body…

_Oh god._

"VAAS!" she screamed. She ran over and skidded to her knees, taking him into her lap. "Vaas, don't do this to me!" she yelled as she tried to wake him up. She noticed that he was lying in a pool of blood that poured out from his torso. She ran her hand over his cold body and began to weep. Despite her feeble and desperate attempts to wake him, he did not wake. He was dead. She gently set his head down and shot up from the ground.

"YOU FUCKER!" she screamed to Jason, knowing that he probably was no longer around. "I WILL FUCKING FIND YOU AND I WILL SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL WHERE YOU FUCKING BELONG!" She was in hysterics. "I WILL DRIVE A BULLET INTO YOUR SKULL ALONG WITH CITRA!" Still sobbing, she fell to her knees. "He was all I had!" she sobbed into her hands. "He was all I fucking had."

After her breakdown, she sat with his body for a minute, hoping…praying that he would wake up and everything would suddenly go away, yet she knew that it was impossible. He was gone along with everyone else that mattered in her life.

First it was her parents.

Then it was Promise.

Now it was Vaas.

She had nothing.

Nothing but painful memories.

* * *

**Well there you have it, guys. Vaas is dead. I didn't want to keep him alive like most other fanfictions because I think that some characters were meant to die. (Don't murder me) Their legacies are more impactful and more memorable if they die sometimes. Thanks for reading! Favorite, follow, review, all that good stuff! Stick around, there are still a few more updates to be written!**


	22. How It All Ends

_How long has it been? That's right, it has been a month. About one month ago he was assassinated. _

Shae sat alone out in the jungle, waiting for the moment when it would all end. It was going to be the ending of her pain and anguish. It would be the start of a new beginning for her and Rook Island. Shae thought back to the moment when she entered the warehouse, where she found Vaas' broken body lying on the ground alone. Trying to not allow weakness to possess her, she forced those thoughts out of her head and only thought of…_him._

Once Vaas fell, everything fell. Not long after, Hoyt eventually died. Immediately after, Dr. Earnhardt was murdered by the Rakyat. Then, Dennis accidently killed Citra, despite Shae's disapproval. She wanted to be the one to drive a knife into her stomach for all that she had done to Vaas and herself. The entire island was in ruins, and Jason was still undoubtedly out there. Shae kicked herself over and over again for letting this manhunt last so long. She could have, no, she _should_ have tagged him by now, yet he was still running about. Finally, she decided that she would stay by one of the main trails that everyone on the island used often. When he passed, she could get him easily.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard heavy footsteps pounding tiredly on a sandy trail. A rush of one thousand emotions hit her as she readied her magnum, praying that her vendetta was coming to an end. Finally, the person was in view. It was Jason. Without even thinking and completely ignoring the plan she cooked up in her head, she sprinted towards him, tackling him to the ground. Something had taken over her, a deep anger that she couldn't control.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed in his face. "DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WOULDN'T FIND YOU?!" Jason said nothing. He was almost accepting. He knew he couldn't stay away for this long. He knew that it would all end. She readied her gun.

"THIS ONE IS FOR VAAS!" she screamed as she shot him in the right leg. She smiled as she watched his face twist into agony as he screamed. She aimed behind her to the left leg. "THIS ONE IS FOR HOYT!" He screamed even louder as the second shot rang out, sending another hot bullet into his leg. "THIS ONE IS FOR EARNHARDT!" Another bullet was sent into his right arm. She aimed at the last working appendage. "THIS ONE IS FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN FROM US!" A fourth bullet was sent into his left arm. She slowly pointed the barrel of the gun to his forehead. She lost all of her strength. She was in ruins. Tears flowed freely down her face as she choked out the quiet, last words that he will ever hear. "This is for my fatherless baby."

_Bang!_

Just like that, it was over.

She slowly stood up, clutching her pregnant stomach that wasn't even showing yet. She was surprised at herself. She was not laughing, dancing, or celebrating like she expected. Instead, she felt a great amount of pain. She fell to her knees against her will as she sobbed out. All of the good memories she had with Vaas began to flood back. Like a sad movie before her eyes, she saw herself fall out of the tree and watched him scoop her up into his arms. She saw the night of the party in which he danced ridiculously. She watched in her head as he opened up to her with a great deal of sadness. She saw them spending time together on the beach and when he finally took her. Then, she saw his heart wrenching death.

She forced herself up off of the ground once again as she began to head back to the pirate camp. After the longest walk of her life, she finally reached the quiet camp. It was much quieter than usual. Most of the pirates were dead now. Only a handful sat by the fire. Connor saw her approach. He put down his drink and rushed towards her. He looked at her, as if he was asking her with his eyes. She breathed heavily, as she slightly nodded. He gave her a weak smile and patted her on the back.

"Good job, cupcake," he whispered. He put his arm around her as he led her back to the dilapidated hut that she called home with Vaas. He opened the door for her and led her in and left her. He knew that she would want to be alone. Not long after, she heard the other pirates cheer. They must have heard the news. She looked over to her cot.

_Maybe I could actually sleep now,_ she thought to herself hopefully. She rubbed her stomach as she sat in the same cot that Vaas nursed her back to health in, and then held her every night in. Now, it was empty. She hated how god damned empty it was without him loudly snoring next to her.

She lied down in it, rubbing her stomach. It was a new beginning. She was now next in line to lead the pirates. Things would finally perk up now that the past was out of the way. She could finally start a new life with her unborn child. She closed her eyes and hugged herself. It almost felt as if Vaas was next to her, holding her close like he always did.

_I love you, Hermosa._

She smiled at the thought of his voice.

"I love you too," she said aloud before finally falling into a deep, restful sleep.

* * *

**Well, there you go my friends. The conclusion to my little Far Cry 3 Fanfiction! Sorry it took so long to update. School finally started, and you know how much of a pain that could be! It kind of ended abruptly, but I think I like how it ended. I just wanted to get it out of the way so I could start some new things and finish old ones, not to mention school work. (-_-) At first, I rolled my eyes at the thought of making Shae pregnant, but a lot of people messaged me and requested it, so here you go! I like how it turned out! Anyways, be sure to review and favorite! Thank you all so much for the awesome support! I couldn't have reached nearly 5,000 views without you! I LOVE YOU!**


End file.
